
Glass C^ \% r l5 * 



/r- 




TftE AUTOBIOGRAPHY 



MEMORIALS OF 



CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 



FOR 



FIFTY YEARS MARINER AND SHIPMASTER FROM THE 
PORT OF NEW YORK. 



BY REV. HElNRY T. CHEEVER, 

AUTHOR OF 

"THE ISLAND WORLD OF THE PACIFIC," AND "THE WHALE AND HI3 

CAPTORS." 



He is careful in observing the Lord's day. He hath a watch in his 
heart, though no bells in a steeple to proclaim that day by ringing to 
prayers. He daily sees and duly considers God's wonders in the deep. 
— Fuller's " Good Sea Captain." 



NEW YORK. 
HARPER & BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS, 

82 CLIFF STREET. 
1851. 






Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year one thousand 
eight hundred and fifty-one, by 

Harper & Brothers, 

in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the Southern District 
of New York. 



PREFACE. 



To the mass of general readers, and to earn- 
est minds especially, writings in the shape of 
self-memorial and autobiography are always at- 
tractive. Whether they be purely religious, 
like the Confessions of Augustine, or the Grace 
Abounding of the Immortal Dreamer, or the 
Experiences of Madame Guyon and of Cowper ; 
or whether they be semi-religious, literary, and 
economical, like the Life of Franklin, by him- 
self, the Confessions of Rousseau, the Autobiog- 
raphies of Goethe and Leigh Hunt, or the Con- 
fidences of Lamartine, all men love to read 
them. Personal reminiscences, perhaps it may 
be added, even egotism, we are generally eager 
to peruse when written, although we detest and 
can not bear them when spoken. 

It is because I have thought there is some- 
thing here of universal interest — because I have 
seemed to see that, in the workings and strug- 



IV PREFACE. 



gles, the trials and triumphs of the sailor herein 
exhibited, there is matter for thought and in- 
struction to the Man, certainly to the Christian 
every where — it is for this, among other rea- 
sons, that the Editor has undertaken the task 
(not an easy one) of correcting, reducing, fash- 
ioning, and putting them in order. 

The labor expended in this process, if not 
always the same in kind, has been little less in 
amount than that of creating entire a similar 
book. But the work has been lightened by the 
hope that its result may now and then profita- 
bly occupy a captain's lonely hours at sea, or a 
sailor's dog-watch and Sunday, and that it may 
minister healthful stimulus and nutrition to a 
circle of minds on the shore also, earnestly 
longing after holiness. 

In now giving this work to the world, the 
Editor remembers the charge of Carlyle: Cast 
forth thy act — thy word into the ever-living uni- 
verse : it is a seed-grain that can not die ; un- 
noticed to-day, it may be found flourishing as a 
banyan grove after a thousand years. If this 
book shall enter as aliment or as vital electrici- 



PREFACE. 



ty into but one upright mind, so as to make it 
more resolved and holy, and its action more 
quick and powerful for good on other minds, a 
wave of benign influence will have been started 
by it, humble as it is, that shall roll through 
eternity. 

In the hope that this volume may prove a 
useful gift to the Merchant Service and Marine 
of England and America, it is now dedicated 
to the Seamen's Friend Societies of the two 
great commercial nations, whose common boast 
it is 

11 That Chatham's language is their mother tongue.'' 

Henry T. Cheever. 

New York, January, 1851. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

INTRODUCTORY AND GENERAL VIEW OF CHARACTER. 

Birth, Parentage, and early Days — First Acquaintance with 
Life on the Water — Narrow Escape from Drowning — Con- 
sequences upon Character — Mastering the Theory of Nav- 
igation — Engages as a Coaster — Begins a Journal — Its Value 
estimated — Elements of Character — Its Worth as an Exam- 
ple — Testimonials of Friends — Points worthy of imitation 
— Noble Attitude in relation to the Sabbath at Sea — Honor 
to whom Honor is due — Origin and Order of the Book — 
Its Ends and Uses — Invocation and Aspirations in behalf 
of its Readers — The Mariner and Christ Page 13 

CHAPTER II. 

EARLY VOYAGES, SUFFERINGS, ADVENTURES, PERILS, AND ES- 
CAPES. 

The first Time off Soundings — Impressive Reminiscence of a 
Voyage to the Carolinas — Hardships and Inhumanities of a 
Cruise to St. Vincent's — Sickened of the Sea, and entering 
upon a Clerkship at New York — x\gain a melancholy Wan- 
derer on the Main — Divers Voyages to the West Indies — 
Fever at Port au Prince — Religion in Embryo — A Mate at 
Twenty-one — In Perils frequent, in Deaths oft — Moral Ef- 
fect thereof — A Prayer composed in Extremity — Feeling 
after God, if haply he might find Him — Wrecked on the 
Island of Barbuda — Strange Vicissitudes of Fortune — Way- 
marks in Religion — Doubling the Cape of Good Hope — 
Navigation in the Indian Seas — Arrival at Macao and Wam- 
poa — The Celestial Empire — A Night and a Day in the 
Deep — Marvelous Rescue — Vows made in Pain — Life at 
Canton — We sail for New York — We Wood and Water in 
the Straits of Sunda — Traffic with the Natives — Touch at 
the Cape — Are overhauled by a Privateer — Put into Gau- 
daloupe — Arrival at New York Page 25 



Vlll CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER III. 

RELIGIOUS CONVICTIONS, PROVIDENCES, TRIALS, AND TRIUMPHS. 

The Seriousness of a rational Mind — Again upon the Deep — 
Captured by Privateers — Dangerous Illness — Its Part in the 
Discipline of his Soul — Various Adventures in the West In- 
dies — Funeral Ceremonies of the Blacks described — In 
Command of a Ship for France — Married in his twenty- 
eighth Year — Hair-breadth Escapes — Reading Theology at 
Sea — The Steps traced by a Sailor's Mind in its Return to 
God — A Train of Disasters on Ship-board — Winter Rigors 
of the Coast — Trial of the Land — Recourse again to Sea — 
Perils in an armed Merchant Ship — Put in Command of 
the Penelope — Beginnings of the Life of God in the Soul 
of Man Page 56 

CHAPTER IV. 

RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE, PROFESSION, TEMPTATIONS, AND ES- 
CAPE. 

Opening of the Nineteenth Century — Personal Records and 
Discoveries — Vigilance in Self-examination — Entering upon 
the Christian Warfare — Dialogue between the Believer 
and his Soul — Trials of a Voyage with Emigrants — Pas- 
sages to Madeira — Sea Life suspended — Shore Life tried — 
The Church entered — Covenant Vows assumed — Peculiar 
Religious Exercises — First the Blade, then the Ear, after 
that the full Corn in the Ear — Footsteps traced into the 
Kingdom of Heaven — Instructive Records — Hard Conflicts 
— Turning out by the tempting Stile of By-path Meadow 
— Caught in the Grounds of Giant Despair — Wanderings in 
Darkness — Temptations to curse God and die — Mental An- 
guish laid bare — A Fugitive from Home and Happiness- 
How at length restored — An instructive Process of Recov- 
ery — Hope for the Sorrowing — Joy for the Comfortless- 
God's Way and God's End — These are they that have 
come out of Tribulation 70 

CHAPTER V. 

NAVIGATING FOR ETERNITY. LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF THE 
CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

Life resumed upon the Mountain Wave — The Steps of a 
good Man ordered by the Lord — Successful Voyages to 
foreign Parts — Increasing Comfort in Religion — Divinity 



CONTENTS. IX 



shaping his rough-hewn Ends — The Experience and Use 
of Trials — Want of Society at Sea — How supplied — Gales 
of the Spirit — Pillars of Gratitude — Memorials of Grace — 
Participation in a Revival at New r ark — Joy in the Lord — 
Fruits of the Spirit — Love for Souls — Clouds departing — 
Sun shining — Shadows fleeing away — Say not 'tis all a 
dreary Way Page 100 

CHAPTER VI. 

LABORS WITH HIMSELF AND LABORS IN BEHALF OF THE SAB- 
BATH FOR SEAMEN. 

The Morning cometh and also the Night — The checkered 
Experience of the Religious Life — Storm after Calm — Self- 
examination brings to his Bearings — A Parallel and Con- 
trast instituted and traced — The Christian Mariner's Night 
Side — Hand of Providence — Invested with the Command 
of Ship Atlas— Voyage to Bristol — Religious Instruction of 
his Crew — Reflections concerning a Captain's Duty to his 
Men — Promise and Performance — Principle and Practice 
— Conscientiousness and Reward — A Struggle between 
Diffidence and Duty — A successful Experiment worth re- 
peating — Perseveres in Well-doing — Confers with Minis- 
ters on the Hallowing of the Sabbath at Sea — Encouraging 
Fruits — Observed Effects of Worship at Sea — He encoun- 
ters an awful Tempest — The Voice of Prayer in the Storm — 
A well-spent Sabbath at Sea — The Mistake corrected that 
Sailors can not be governed without rough Usage — Facts 
in Proof — Experiment tried of daily Evening Worship— 
The Habit continued in successive foreign Voyages — Pas- 
sage to Lisbon — Divers Dangers passed — Views of the 
Heavenly Canaan 119 

CHAPTER VII. 

CHRISTIAN LIFE AND DUTIES AT SEA CONTINUED. 

Example of an honorable and conscientious Captain — Con- 
troversy with his Employer respecting sailing from Port 
on the Lord's Day — Noble Resolution taken — Voyage to 
the Tagus — Sickness on the Return — Healthful Discipline 
— Spiritual Improvement thereof — Growth in Goodness — 
War with Great Britain forbids Commerce — Ashore eigh- 
teen Months — Undertakes School-teaching — Peace re- 
stored, and the Command of- the Niagara resumed — Voy- 
age to New Orleans and Liverrjool— Social Religion at Sea 



CONTENTS. 



— Providential Deliverance from Shipwreck in Answer to 
Prayer — Takes in Charge the Ship Phocion — Another Eu- 
ropean Voyage — Spiritual Meditations at Sea — Views of 
Sin, and Holiness, and God — Anxieties for the Salvation 
of Others — Heavenward Aspirations Page 141 

CHAPTER VIII. 

PECULIAR RELIGIOUS EXERCISES AND ORIGINAL CORRESPOND- 
ENCE WITH REV. THOMAS SCOTT. 

The Year of the Great Revival — Movement of Mind on the 
Sea — Anxieties for Souls — Affecting Views of the Condi- 
tion of a Sinner under Condemnation — Letters to his Wife 
penned at Sea — Arguments and Persuasives to Piety — 
Reasons for seeking in earnest an Interest in Christ — Af- 
fectionate Plea and Expostulation — Claims of Religion to 
instant Regard — Danger of Procrastination — Benevolent 
Care and Sympathy for his Passengers — The truly Relig- 
ious Ship-master — Death at Sea — Voyage to and from Hull 
— Dissatisfaction of Passengers at not making Sail on the 
Lord's Day — Conduct and Reasonings of Captain Congar 
— Addresses a Letter to Dr. Scott — Cases of Conscience 
stated — Experience narrated — Opinion solicited — Reply of 
Thomas Scott — Grounds of Argument on the Subject — To 
be decided by Analogy — Israel not a sea-faring People — 
Proper Distinction between Works of Necessity and Works 
of Mercy — The Sabbath made for Man, not Man for the 
Sabbath — Should not be stiffly unaccommodating — A 
right Rule to give up our own Will to please Others for 
their Good — Never to give up the Lord's Will — The Di- 
vine endorsing the Captain 156 

CHAPTER IX. 

DESPONDENCY CONFESSED, CORRECTED, AND CURED. 

Penitential Acknowledgments of Sin, and Prayers for Pardon 
and Holiness — Fears of Apostasy — Workings of the Hu- 
man Soul apprehended by the Powers of the World to 
come — Events and Exercises of a Voyage to Oporto — 
Prayer followed by Occasions of Thanksgiving — Indwell- 
ing Sin deplored — The Soul fasting and mourning — Light 
breaking — The sorrowing Soul comforted — Tokens of the 
Divine Favor renewed — The Course of Recovery traced — 
The Pilgrim's Progress to the Land of Peace — Affecting 
Memorials of the Wormwood and the G^all — Cheering 



CONTENTS. XI 



Views of the Promises — Repose found in Christ — The 
Blessedness of Union with the Divine Will — Consolation of 
Faith — Doubts followed by Assurance — Calm after Storm 
— Rest after Toil — Peace after War — Aspirations after Ho- 
liness — A Beulah for the Soul even here Page 182 

CHAPTER X. 

ABANDONMENT OF THE SEA. TRAVELS AND EXPERIENCE IN 
THE SOUTHWEST. 

The Steps of a good Man ordered by the Lord — Casting the 
Burden upon God — Singular Resolution — Following the 
Thread of Providence — Passage to New Orleans and Natch- 
ez — Propitious Providences — Manifestations of God's Favor 
— Business Arrangements and Success — Sorrows and Joys 
of Solitude — He quits Natchez — Returns to his Family — 
Raises a Pillar of Gratitude — Brought low by Sickness — 
A Summer at Newark — Seeks the South in the Fall — Busi- 
ness Adventures in 1823 — A delicate Subject discussed — 
Union of Believers with Unbelievers — Its disastrous Re- 
sults stated and Dissuasives thereto enforced — Evidence 
of Growth in Grace — Considerations upon the State and 
Prospects of the Ungodly — Horror taking hold of him be- 
cause of the Wicked that keep not God's Law — Reflec- 
tions and Experience during a Voyage South in 1824 — 
Reasonings of a Man of the World — How confronted — 
The Longings of the panting Soul expressed 196 

CHAPTER XI. 

BUSINESS, BENEVOLENCE, AND MENTAL EXERCISES ON SHORE 
CONTINUED. 

Travels to and fro in the South — Providential Deliverances 
— Benevolent Anxieties for a bosom Friend — -Close of the 
Ninth Septenniad of Life — Removal of Residence to Sa- 
vannah — Temporary Relapse into Despondency — How re- 
stored — Refreshing Tokens of Divine Favor — Pan tings of 
the Soul after Holiness — Abode at St. Augustine in 1831 — 
Life and Labors there for seven Years — Removal to Jack- 
sonville — Course of Business and Religion there — Reflec- 
tions at Threescore and Ten — The Pilgrim in a Green 
Old Age — The World receding — Heaven dawning on the 
Soul — The Difference between the Worldling, the Misan 
thrope, and the rejoicing Christian — Mount Pisgah climbed 
— Eternal Glory flooding the Soul 216 



Xll CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER XII. 

LIFE, LABORS, AND EXPERIENCE AT JACKSONVILLE. 

Sources of Information — Letters to Friends — Recapitulation 
of Mercies — Views of Life and the World — Looking be- 
hind the Cloud — Earth renounced — Heaven anticipated — 
Part in organizing a Church — Ordained an Elder — Notes 
of Experience in 1843 — Hopes and Desires of the gracious 
Soul — Forecasting the Future — Elected Mayor of Jackson- 
ville — Thoughts on the Seventy-eighth Anniversary of his 
Birth — Experience of Youth and Age in Contrast — Energy 
in building a Session-house in 1846 — Solicitations of Aid in 
its Behalf — Characteristic Extracts from Letters asking Be- 
nevolence — Local Improvements in Morals and Religion 
— Generosity revealed — Becoming Gratitude expressed — 
The Agent and the Cause acknowledged and glorified — 
The Pilgrim looking back over Life — The Pilgrim waiting 
— The Pilgrim longing for his Rest Page 228 

CHAPTER XIII. 

CLOSING YEARS, DEATH, AND RETROSPECT OF CHARACTER. 

Instructive Birth-day Memorial — An old Man's Offering — 
The Log-book of Eighty Years' Navigation — A Tribute to 
the Pilot — The true Grounds of Happiness in old Age — 
The Secret learned of Holiness — The Soul losing its own 
Life and finding the Life of God — An affecting Reminis- 
cence of Youth — The Otium cum Dignitate of the Chris- 
tian Mariner — How to be Young when Old — The Patri- 
arch's Views of passing Events — The Internal Life and the 
External — The Christian Solace — A New Year's Landing- 
place — The wise Review — The calm Outlook upon the 
Future — The cheerful Consecration — The last Birth-day — 
The last Entry — Valedictory to Earth — Salutatory to Eter- 
nity — Sickness and Death — Synopsis of Character — Virtues 
as a Man, a Merchant, a Captain, and a Christian — A Man's 
Way declarative of his End — The Author's Farewell As- 
pirations and Leave-taking 245 



MEMOIRS 

OF 

CAPTAIN CONGAR. 

Chapter I. 

INTRODUCTORY AND GENERAL VIEWS OF CHAR- 
ACTER. 

I come not, friends, to steal away your hearts ; 
But, as you know me all, a plain, blunt man. 
For I have neither wit, nor words, nor worth, 
Action, nor utterance, nor the power of speech, 
To stir men's blood ; I only speak right on ; 
I tell you that which you yourselves do know. 

Shakspe are's Julius Ccesar. 

The subject of the following memoir was the 
fourth of seven children born to David and 
Mary Congar, and all reared to adult years. 
He was born near Newark, New Jersey, on the 
27th of June, 1768. His death was in July, 
1848, in the eighty-second year of his age. His 
parentage, though poor, was virtuous, industri- 
ous, temperate, pious, and long-lived; the fa- 
ther dying at the age of eighty-seven, the mother 
at seventy-nine. 



14 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

He was sent to school, for one or two years, 
at the age of six, just before the commencement 
of the American Revolution ; at the break- 
ing out of which, his father's family were re- 
moved up the North River, to the village of 
New Windsor, sixty miles from the city of New 
York, in the year 1776. Here Obadiah was 
taken on board a sloop by his father, who had 
abandoned the business of shoe-making in order 
to follow that of a coaster and trader on the 
Hudson. By this means the son early acquired 
a knowledge of nautical life, and contracted a 
fondness for the water. 

About the year 1779, however, his father sold 
his river craft, and took up the business of fer- 
ry-keeping, using also his young sailor-son to 
go with him. This had nearly been a fatal 
business for them both ; for it happened, on a 
Sabbath day, that they had occasion to take on 
board a heavy-loaded wagon and five horses, 
and having gone about midchannel, that is, half 
a mile from the shore, the wind blowing fresh 
from the southwest and ebb tide, which caused 
considerable swell, the horses sallied to leeward, 
and the boat immediately filled and sunk, all 
except a little part of the bow, to w T hich they 
all providentially clung, and remained until tak- 
en off. Happily for them, this disaster happened 



EARLY PERIL AND RESCUE. 15 

just as the church doors were opened for the 
people to come out, and, being in full view, as- 
sistance was soon rendered them. 

This narrow escape from drowning, which 
was but one of many he met with in the course 
of life, wrought powerfully upon the mind of 
the boy-mariner. It led him, beyond what was 
natural to his years, to think of his liability to 
die, and of the necessity of being always ready. 
And it seems to have given birth to many good 
resolutions, and to have laid a strong arm of re- 
straint upon youthful follies, making him se- 
rious-minded and afraid of sin, lest God should 
snatch him away in the commission of it. 

When about fourteen years of age, his father 
wisely attempted to put him to a trade ; but, 
finding the lad not to take readily to any of the 
mechanic arts, he thought proper to send him 
to school for the purpose of learning navigation, 
in order that he might follow the sea for life. 
Soon after he had thus acquired the theory of 
navigation, which there is good evidence that 
he mastered well, the contest ended between 
the United States and Great Britain, and he 
entered a vessel as a common hand in the coast- 
ing business. 

Through sundry imprudences and prodigal- 
ity incident to his age, he found himself, on set- 



]G CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

tling with his first employers, and proceeding 
to the city of New York, in the winter of 1785, 
quite out of pocket. He notes this as a provi- 
dential circumstance, because, probably, his 
poverty kept him out of harm's way during his 
stay in the city ; and, reflecting upon his pre- 
vious sailor-like improvidence, he wisely re- 
solved to husband his earnings better for the 
future, a resolution which, if carried out by 
young sailors generally as it was by him, would 
early lay the foundation of an independent com- 
petence. 

It was at this period of his life, in the eight- 
eenth year thereof, and with a serious though 
not yet a religious mind, that the personal nar- 
rative or journal was undertaken from which 
the materials of this book are derived. It was 
principally, he says, that he might retain or 
call to mind the most material incidents of his 
life, the perusal of which might be useful and 
entertaining, should he ever arrive at old age. 
It is written in a legible, fair hand, and with 
generally correct orthography ; and though by 
no means remarkable for the shrewdness and 
originality of its observations, or the depth of 
its reflections, or the animation and interest 
of its style, or the lively detail of stirring facts, 
incidents, and adventures, it is, on the whole, 



GROUND-WORK OF CHARACTER. 17 

highly creditable to the heart, if not to the in- 
tellect of the writer ; and it presents an exam- 
ple every way worthy of imitation by sea-faring 
men. 

The character it gradually develops is the 
rare one of a humble, conscientious, active, and 
practical Christian mariner. Without being 
eminently great or transcendently good, it is 
such a character as, if every where reproduced 
and multiplied on ship and shore, would make 
society happy, and earth akin to heaven. It is 
a character the ground-work of which is alto- 
gether natural and common, being neither much 
above nor any below the ordinary level of hu- 
man abilities, but so ribbed, braced, and under- 
girded by strong moral principle and the fear 
of God, that it was far more than ordinarily 
effective for good in its day and generation. 
Thence alone it is worthy of study and imita- 
tion by those- especially whose sphere of action 
and duty corresponds to that pursued by the 
practical Christian mariner herein exemplified. 
There are few that attain to the office of ship- 
master, like Captain Congar, who might not 
become as respected, influential, and useful as 
he, provided only they had his religion, which 
was the rudder of his life. 

One of his personal friends and acquaintan- 
B 



18 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

ees, a New York merchant, who first knew 
him as long ago as the year 1808, in Newark, 
thus testifies to Captain Congar's character, 
person, and worth : " I observed him always as 
a serious-minded man. When in port, he was 
sure to be seen regularly and punctually in his 
seat at church on the Sabbath, and also at so- 
cial evening meetings ; and he always enjoyed 
the respect and confidence of the better class of 
society. 

" He was a man of a middle size, rather spare 
or slender, neat and particular in his dress, and 
this he retained to the end of his days. He had 
a little hesitancy in his speech, and a nervous 
habit of shutting his eyes suddenly and often 
while speaking. Though inclined to be irrita- 
ble in temper, he always maintained his Chris- 
tian character, and was at peace with all men. 

" Captain Congar was in the employ of some 
of our best and most respectable merchants, 
and had their full confidence ; and though their 
views of sending out ships from port on the Sab- 
bath differed from the captain's, they seemed to 
yield to his sense of Christian duty. Captain 
Congar was an old-fashioned Christian, and of 
the Puritan stamp ; he could not bear deceit 
nor equivocation, was scrupulous as to his en* 
gagements, and opposed to being in debt, 



TESTIMONY OF FRIENDS. 19 

" My particular acquaintance with him was 
after his removal to Florida, to which place he 
removed on account of climate, and with refer- 
ence to his health. He established himself at 
St. Augustine in mercantile business to rather 
a limited extent, had capital sufficient to pay 
for a stock of goods suited to the place, to own 
a house and lot, and was also cultivating a 
young orange grove, which bade fair to yield a 
considerable income, when the severe frost of 
(about) 1835 destroyed it, and it was not after- 
ward replenished or improved. 

" Captain Congar was too candid and honest, 
and too cautious to gain much by trade in those 
times of over-reaching and exaggeration. He 
was particular to purchase only good articles, 
and was undeviating in prices. The common 
people, the Monorcans, and the poor slaves, found 
the benefit of trading at his store ; and if he 
recommended his goods, they could believe him, 
and were sure not to be deceived. 

"At St. Augustine Captain Congar was for- 
ward in efforts to erect a place of worship and 
support a church, and to promote good morals, 
always bore his part liberally in the support of 
the Gospel, was regular and systematic in his 
benevolence. He was in the habit of remitting 
his contributions to the seamen's cause, to the 



20 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

American Board of Commissioners for Foreign 
Missions, and other public charities, and he 
adorned his profession by a consistent life. 

" Captain Congar became dissatisfied with St. 
Augustine, and at the advanced age of seventy 
commenced a new residence at Jacksonville, in 
Florida, in 1838. Here he opened a store, and 
for several years did a small amount of trade, 
but gradually withdrew from business pursuits. 
He was chosen Mayor of Jacksonville, and ex- 
erted a strong influence for the sacredness of 
the Sabbath, and in opposition to intemperance, 
profane swearing, gambling, and all public wick- 
edness. 

l "He began at once to propose plans for a 
Church organization and to procure a church 
edifice, and though he did not succeed in per- 
manently establishing a Church and place of 
worship for his own denomination, he yielded 
his own preference, and cordially united in aid 
of an Evangelical Methodist Church, which 
continues to be respectably attended, and is reg- 
ularly supplied with preaching. He also erect- 
ed, with the aid of a few friends, a house for 
prayer, on the same lot in Jacksonville with his 
own dwelling, and kept up evening prayer meet- 
ings by his personal efforts for a considerable 
time. 



A CHRISTIAN CAPTAIN^ SABBATH. 21 

" While at Jacksonville in the winter of 
1849, I learned much of Captain Congar's cath- 
olic spirit, and his efforts to keep a high stand- 
ard of Christian example. He used to look after 
members who were delinquent at the evening 
prayer meetings, and his influence in every way 
was corrective and salutary." 

Perhaps the noblest attitude in which the 
subject of these memoirs appears, is the firm 
and manly stand taken by him in respect to the 
observance of the Sabbath at sea. It is in this 
pre-eminently that his example is to be com- 
mended to all the craft. When there were 
none of his fellow-captains to keep him in coun- 
tenance, he maintained rigidly, by practice and 
precept, the sanctity of the Lord's day, so that 
he would neither sail from port, nor have any 
other than the absolutely necessary working of 
the ship at sea. 

This he conscientiously held to for the whole 
of his sea life, after embracing Christianity, 
when scarce another could be quoted in England 
or America who was with him ; and even grave 
divines, as will be seen, demurred at giving the 
counsel which he prescribed to himself, and for 
a length of years never deviated from. Out of 
forty-seven voyages performed by him in all, 
during the twenty-three that he was himself 



22 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

captain, he had the Sabbath carefully observed 
to the best of his ability by all on board. For 
this we honor him ; for this, if for nothing else, 
his life were worthy to be written ; for this, 
while the name of the wicked shall rot, his shall 
be had in everlasting remembrance. Foras- 
much as he honored the Sabbath when by oth- 
ers it was dishonored, the great God of the 
Sabbath shall make him honorable in the ever- 
lasting kingdom of our Lord, agreeably to that 
word of his, Them that honor me I will honor, 
but they that despise me shall be lightly es- 
teemed. 

In the following chapters of this book we 
shall have Captain Congar speak as much as 
possible for himself, without, however, present- 
ing his journal in due order or exactness, but 
omitting many things inconsequential and un- 
interesting, paraphrasing others, and so abridg- 
ing both incidents and reflections, and condens- 
ing the whole, as to bring the volume within 
the compass we have prescribed for it. 

Although a man noted for uncommon hu- 
mility, self-distrust, and freedom from egotism, 
Captain Congar surmised and hoped, in his last 
days, that the perusal of his journal might be 
useful to others, and he therefore left it by will 
as a legacy to the Seamen's Friend Society, 



A NEW REVOLVING LIGHT. 23 

with instructions to have a book prepared out 
of it, and three thousand copies to be printed 
and circulated among seamen at his expense. 
The present volume is in fulfillment of that 
trust. 

The aim of the editor has been so to project 
his own mind into the position and character 
of the subject of this memoir, as from that stand- 
point to trace a true map of his life and relig- 
ious experience. May it prove a valuable ad- 
dition to the Christian literature of the sea, and 
in due time find its way to forecastle and cabin, 
and be a monitor and example to officers and 
men, of modest worth and principle, and of the 
honor that accrues, even in this world, to real 
goodness and the fear of God. Should it ever, 
in a good degree, answer this end, or might it 
serve as a new revolving light to the mariner 
on the look-out for the Port of Peace, the labors 
of the editor will have been well bestowed. On 
its mission, then, he sends it forth, with an 
earnest prayer to God for every mariner that 
shall ever be allured to its perusal. 



Dark is the watery way 

Of life's tempestuous sea; 
And none, oh Christ, are safe, but they 

Who put their trust in thee. 



24 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

Loud is the stormy wind ; 

The seamen are afraid ; 
But those shall strength and mercy find 

Whose souls on Christ are stayed. 

The winds they do not fear, 

Nor dread the thunder's noise ; 
The Savior's cheering voice they hear, 

And evermore rejoice. 
It is our Savior's skill. 

Our Savior's arm of might, 
Which guides the tossing ship at will, 

And puts our fears to flight. 

Praise to the Pilot's power, 
Praise to the Pilot's hand, 

That, faithful most in danger's hour, 
Shall bring us safe to land. 



EXPERIENCE OFF SOUNDINGS. 25 



Chapter II. 

EARLY VOYAGES, SUFFERINGS, ADVENTURES, PER- 
ILS, AND ESCAPES. 

We have been 
But voyaging along the barren coasts, 
Like some poor, ever- roaming horde of pirates, 
Who, crowded in the rank and narrow ship. 
House on the wild sea with wild usages, 
Nor know aught of the main land, but the bays 
Where safeliest they may venture a thief's landing. 

The Piccolomini. 

The first cruise made by Captain Congar 
off soundings was from New York to North 
Carolina, in a sloop, in the year 1785. Though 
but a seven or eight days' sail, it was a trading 
voyage, and occupied six months. At first, in 
his extreme distress by sea-sickness, he made 
to himself the sailor's usual promise, that, could 
he once more get on land, salt water should 
never again wet his feet. But, returning with 
good success, and greeted joyfully by his friends, 
a few days on land sufficed him, and, refusing 
the owner's offer to take the sloop on shares 
and continue in the river business, he resolved 
to pursue his fortune on the sea. 

The taste he had had of its dangers and dis- 



26 CAPTAIN OBADIAH GONGAR. 

comforts did not appall him, although he records 
afterward the following reminiscence of his first 
voyage, in order to show what dreadful appre- 
hensions fill the mind when guilt stares in the 
face, and when some awful judgment seems to 
threaten. While his sloop was lying at the 
mouth of one of the Carolina rivers, the cap- 
tain had occasion to take all the crew ashore 
with him but young Congar, late in the after- 
noon, and, by some means, they were detained 
all night. As the vessel lay about half a mile 
from land, it was but natural that the raw sail- 
or boy left in charge should feel lonesome and 
uneasy. But his fund of spirits and health 
helped him, and he endeavored to compose his 
mind to sleep at the usual hour. 

About midnight, as he deemed, he was awak- 
ened by the great rocking of the vessel, and by 
loud peals of thunder, terrifying to him at any 
time, but now, in his loneliness, distressing be- 
yond measure : " The vivid lightnings flashed 
around me as though the elements were all on 
fire. What horror seized my guilty soul ! Now 
I tried to pray ; now I read the Bible. Now I 
repented of my sins, and resolved to mend my 
ways. I thought the judgment day had come, 
and that my soul must perish. In this dread- 
ful time I had, nevertheless, presence of mind 



HARDSHIPS AND INHUMANITIES. 27 

enough to go on deck and let go the second an- 
chor, and try the pump. After this, it moder- 
ated a little, but I thought the night would 
never end. Blessed be God, who carried me 
through that dreadful night, and gave me to see 
the light and space to repent !" 

Eager again for the sea, and all its terrors 
out of mind, in an evil hour for himself, young 
Congar enlisted on board an English vessel 
bound to the island of St. Vincent's, in the West 
Indies. During this voyage he " suffered al- 
most every thing but death itself," the vessel 
being ill commanded and provisioned, and quite 
unfit for sea, so that they were very soon put 
upon a short allowance of bread and water ; the 
captain, withal, being, by his description, " an 
inhuman tyrant, who knew not how to treat 
any being capable of feeling." 

After the lapse of forty-seven wearisome days 
of hunger, thirst, and hard usage, they made 
port, the captain, by the imperfect navigation 
of the time, having fallen so far to leeward as 
to have to stand to the northward again, in or- 
der to make an easting. Such was the inhu- 
manity of the captain, that the men were put 
upon allowance again only eight days after get- 
ting to port, and so remained for eight or ten 
weeks, to the end of the voyage. 



28 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

The whole course of it was so fraught with 
hardship, that at its close and return to New 
York, nothing seemed wanting to young Con- 
gar but opportunity to engage in some calling 
whereby he might earn an honest livelihood, 
and be delivered from the toils of the seas. 
This was offered him in a clerkship at Newark, 
in a merchant's store. But finding the business 
dull and the confinement irksome, and his suf- 
ferings at sea being all forgotten, he aban- 
doned it at the expiration of eighteen months 
for a home again on the mountain wave, a life 
which he had but lately detested as the most 
uncomfortable to be imagined. 

Reflecting thereon at a later period, he re- 
marks, " Would any one seriously reflect how 
many comforts of life he deprives himself of by 
following the sea, methinks all the allurements 
to such a business would vanish. But few, 
alas ! regard what ought to be esteemed the 
greatest comfort — I mean, the privilege of living 
under a preached Gospel, or being in habits of 
sociability with those whose examples of piety 
and virtue might lead to a consideration of the 
importance of preparing for our latter end — 
considerations seemingly too much neglected 
by those w r hose occupation is on the great wa- 
ters." 



VOYAGES TO THE WEST INDIES. 29 

, His clerkship had hardly been more produc- 
tive than trading before on the North River, so 
that he started anew for sea in his nineteenth 
year "without even the means of procuring an 
outfit. Through the kindness of his late em- 
ployer, this, however, was furnished him, and 
he shipped as a common sailor for a voyage to 
Jamaica, but upon such hard conditions, and 
as a supernumerary hand, that nothing was 
due him at the winding up of the voyage. 

A painful melancholy had preyed upon him 
on the voyage, which was rather increased by 
the uncertainty of his prospects, and the diffi- 
culty of finding employment that suited him on 
his return. At length, however, it was relieved 
through the services of a friend procuring him 
a situation in a brig to Guadaloupe on seamen's 
wages. This was a prosperous voyage, with an 
honest captain, that did much to reconcile him 
to the rough life of a sailor. But on his return 
to Newburyport in January, and a voyage aft- 
erward in February to New York of twenty- 
six days, he suffered all the rigors of an ice- 
bound coast. 

We find him next embarked for Ireland, and 
returning by way of the Cape de Verds with a 
cargo of salt, and now thoroughly broken in to 
the rough and tumble of a sailor's life, and in- 



30 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

ured to all its vices. A cruise to St. Domingo 
and back to Newburyport completed the year 
1788, in the course of which his vessel sprung 
a leak in a gale, and by working at the pumps 
he was fatigued to that degree that death 
seemed almost desirable, all unfit for it as he 
then was. 

Being of a social turn at this age, and finding 
congeniality, a warm attachment seems to have 
been formed with the people of Newburyport, 
whom he began to esteem as fathers and broth- 
ers. "With them," he says, "I would go to 
church, and talk of religion too ; but, though 
given up at the same time to all kinds of wick- 
edness, yet I was not so lost to all future con- 
cern but that I bought me a Bible before I went 
to sea again." This was probably the result 
of some promise made when in distress on the 
last voyage. 

In the chances and changes of a seaman's 
life, young Congar is next sick with a malig- 
nant fever at Port au Prince. Greatly alarmed 
and anxious, he spent much time in reflection 
on his past conduct, and frequently resolved, 
should he be spared, to amend his ways and be- 
come a Christian. But, like thousands of sea- 
men in the same distress, health no sooner re- 
turned than all such thoughts were banished 



MATE AT TWENTY-ONE. 31 

from his mind. Through God's mercy he was 
saved, and we find him successively after at 
Newburyport, Norfolk, London, and Orient 
France, enlarging his knowledge of the great 
world, but, as himself frequently confesses, ill 
preparing for the world to come : " All this while 
I was daily becoming more and more hardened 
in sin ; I chose to follow the multitude to do 
evil, and scarcely ever looked into my new Bi- 
ble. Nevertheless, the force of education was 
so great, that at times I would attempt to pray. 
But, God knows, my prayers needed forgive- 
ness." 

In December of 1789, he being now in the 
twenty-second year of his age, and evidently 
a trusty seaman, proposals were made him to 
go in a brig in the capacity of a first mate. 
With some reluctance, and an unfeigned diffi- 
dence of his own abilities, he assumed the berth. 
But, owing to difficulties with his men, partly 
consequent upon his own conscientiousness, he 
enters in his diary that sometimes he would 
willingly have given up his officership, with all 
its cares and troubles, and all the profits at- 
tached to it, and have returned to the capacity 
of a sailor again, rather than be continually at 
war with those under his direction. 

His first foreign voyage as mate to Cowes, in 



32 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

the Isle of Wight, and Bremen, Germany, was a 
harassing and disastrous one, by reason of dread- 
ful storms, length of passage, injury to cargo, 
and the loss of some of his men, and the reduc- 
tion to short allowance of bread, beef, and wa- 
ter. On the 16th of August, 1790, being bound 
from Bremen to Charleston, they came to one 
and a half biscuit per day, and, to make the 
water serve, he enters in his journal, "we used 
to put a quill in a bottle and drink through it, 
and thereby quench thirst without using so 
much as we must otherwise have done. By 
this time, great prospect of our suffering with 
hunger began to appear, we being a long way 
from any land, and in the calm latitudes. Ev- 
ery countenance began to wear the aspect of 
concern ; for my part, the unpleasant situation 
in which we were placed caused many serious 
reflections in my mind. I viewed it as the 
judgment of an avenging God pursuing me 
wherever I went. Bat, alas ! for all this my 
heart was not truly humbled. Nevertheless, I 
thought it was my duty, and, as I had often 
resolved, I now attempted to set about a new 
life ; but religion which has no foundation but 
the fear of present and future evil will not like- 
ly be very lasting. Impressed at this time with 
a sense of my dependence on God, I wrote the 



FEELING AFTER GOD. 



following prayer, that it might remain an evi- 
dence how seriously my mind was affected with 
our situation. Monday forenoon. — O, most 
gracious Father and Lord, be pleased to look 
down from thy holy habitation, and have mercy 
upon us miserable creatures. Forgive us our 
manifold sins and transgressions, which from 
time to time we have committed against thy 
divine majesty. And O, merciful Saviour, visit 
us with the smiles of thy blessed grace, that we 
may not only forsake our evil ways, which we 
have been pursuing all our lives past, but that 
we may be renewed by thy good Spirit, and be 
enabled to live more agreeably to thy holy will 
henceforward. 

" Most gracious and merciful God, as it hath 
pleased thee to preserve us, from time to time, 
upon the raging seas, and to hold our life even 
when we expected to be swallowed up of the 
merciless ocean, so likewise be pleased of thine 
infinite goodness at this time to extend thy 
mercy toward us guilty creatures, and let us 
not perish under thy bountiful hand. Grant us 
favorable winds, O Lord, that we may be deliv- 
ered from our troubles, and be brought to our 
desired port. And O, heavenly Father, give 
us hearts ever thankful to thee for all thy good- 
ness toward us unworthy sinners, and that we 
O 



34 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

may ever bless and praise thy holy name, give 
all honor to thee who art ever just and right- 
eous, for the sake of thy dear Son, Savior of 
the world. Amen. 

" On the evening of the same day there sprung 
up a breeze to the eastward, which gave us a 
run on our passage. And Providence designed, 
to lessen our troubles still more, that we might 
see his power in the deep, and be led to adore 
his condescending goodness to the worst of sin- 
ners. The next evening we spoke a Portuguese 
ship from the coast of Brazil bound to Lisbon. 
We went on board of her and got about one 
hundred and fifty pounds of rice, one barrel of 
cassada meal, eight pounds of sugar, and about 
ten pounds of pork, which articles were of great 
use to us, and relieved our distresses in a great 
measure. 

" About this time, in opening the Bible, I 
took particular notice of these words in Isaiah : 
' Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened that 
it can not save, neither his ear heavy that it can 
not hear.' This led me to admire the provi- 
dence of God in stretching forth his hand to 
save them that are ready to perish, and hearing 
those that call on him in time of trouble. For 
these mercies I seemed truly thankful, and 
promised a reformation of life; and had I sought 



RELIGION IN EMBRYO. 35 

to him whose hand is not shortened that it can 
not save, perhaps I might have been enabled to 
fulfill this promise in some measure ; but, put- 
ting confidence in my own strength and abili- 
ties, my resolutions proved like the morning 
cloud, or the early dew when the sun is risen. 

" From the time we spoke the Portuguese 
ship until we saw another sail was nearly twen- 
ty days, in which time our distresses would 
have greatly increased had we not met with 
the above relief. When we arrived at Charles- 
ton, we had not any provisions at all for more 
than six days. September 13th we made the 
light-house, and the same day, with much dif- 
ficulty, got into port. I returned thanks to 
God for his special mercies toward us in pre- 
serving us when want and famine, with all its 
awful consequences, seemed to threaten us, and 
for restoring us to our desired port once more 
in safety. But, nevertheless, my heart was far 
alienated from God. 

" I had often resolved while at sea, if we 
should arrive safe, that I would leave the brig, 
and return home to my native place, having 
been some time from it, but the captain not 
being willing to part with me, I concluded to 
go another voyage. We were employed taking 
in our cargo and getting ready for sea until the 



36 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

6th of October, when we sailed for the island 
of St. Martin's. This voyage was principally 
undertaken with the view to bring back a car- 
go of salt. From the time we sailed until No- 
vember 1st nothing extraordinary happened. 
Being then in the latitude of Barbuda, a small 
island to the eastward of St. Martin's, at eight 
o'clock in the evening we hove our ship to un- 
der the two top-sails, with her head to the 
southward, supposing, by our observation, to be 
something to the southward of the island, and 
by this means we could not drift on to it. At 
midnight we could not observe any thing like 
land, nor any appearance of the water being 
colored. At one A.M., it being dark, but pret- 
ty moderate, the first thing we knew, the vessel 
struck upon rocks, which soon brought us upon 
deck, and in great confusion, for we soon ob- 
served rocks on every side, and some above the 
water. Directly after we discovered land, and, 
to our astonishment, to the southward of us. 
We used every endeavor to get clear, but all to 
no purpose, except that we got our vessel in 
such a situation that she could not sink entire- 
ly under water. Finding every attempt to get 
off fail us, we let go an anchor, hove out the 
long boat, and sounded for the best water. At 
daylight we carried out a kedge anchor, and 



SHIPWRECK AT BARBUDA. 37 

hove upon it, but in vain ; and about seven 
A.M. she bilged, and, being most water forward, 
her bows sunk entirely under, but her stern 
was kept up by rocks which she had got fast 
upon. 

" Circumstanced as we were, it is highly 
reasonable to conclude we must all have per- 
ished had the wind blown fresh from the north- 
ward. I count this deliverance among the many 
providential escapes from threatening death 
which I have experienced, and for which I de- 
sire to be truly thankful. At eight A.M., find- 
ing the leak increasing fast upon us, we left the 
pumps, and endeavored to save what we could 
with our boat. The first load we took on shore 
was our clothing, and some provisions and wa- 
ter, not knowing that either of these things, or 
even inhabitants, were to be found there, the 
island appearing barren and wild. This island 
lies in the latitude of eighteen degrees north, 
and about the longitude of sixty-one and a half 
west. The whole island (being small) belongs 
to a gentleman in England, who has an over- 
seer or governor upon it, who manages his busi- 
ness. This governor has one white overseer 
under him, and about one hundred slaves, whose 
business chiefly is to raise stock and carry it to 
Antigua, which lies about thirty miles to the 



38 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

southward of Barbuda. There are kept here 
two small vessels, which carry the produce of 
the island to the aforesaid place, and also two 
large boats, rowed by fourteen hands, which are 
sent to the assistance of those whose lot it may 
be to get on these rocks, which almost surround 
the island. 

" When the boat landed, some negroes who 
were near the place came and conducted the 
captain to the governor's house, where he re- 
mained until next morning, and ordered the 
boat on board, with directions to load her again 
with the most valuable articles, and all to come 
on shore, which we did, and landed a little be- 
fore dark. The next morning we all went on 
board again, and endeavored to save what we 
could, and brought it on shore, where we re- 
mained the second night ; and the day follow- 
ing, returning on board, we brought every thing 
which it was possible to save. 

" November 5th, we sailed with the effects of 
the wreck for Antigua, where we arrived the 
next day, and the effects, being landed, were 
sold at auction, when we received our wages, 
and every one took what course he thought 
proper. I took passage for the island of Gua- 
daloupe, in hopes to meet with some vessel for 
New York; but, not finding any, I proceeded 



RESTORED TO COUNTRY AND FRIENDS. 39 

to St. Eustatia, and from thence to St. Mar- 
tin's, where I fell in with the sloop Arabia, Cap- 
tain Johnson, bound for New York, who offered 
me a passage, which I willingly accepted. We 
sailed November 28th, and, after a passage of 
twenty-one days, arrived at New York. 

" From thence I proceeded to Newark, to visit 
my relations and friends, having been absent 
from them about three years. I was received 
by my connections and acquaintance with 
marks of sincere congratulation, some of whom 
professed a great desire that I would quit the 
seafaring business, and undertake something on 
shore. But I had become too great a rover to 
listen to such entreaties. After spending a few 
days at Newark, I went to see my parents at 
New Windsor, whom I had not visited in five 
years, and who always had expressed great sat- 
isfaction on my returning from sea. I remained 
with them about ten days, when a letter was 
received from my brother at Newark that a 
Mr. S. wanted me to return and act as mate of 
a schooner which he was fitting out for North 
Carolina, and commanded by William Whit- 
more. To this I consented, and we sailed from 
New York February 3d, 1791, for Wilmington. 

" I now began to throw off that watchfulness 
over my conduct and seeming duty to God 



40 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

which engaged my thoughts in times of distress, 
and had nearly forgotten all the promises I had 
made heretofore. And though I did not give 
way altogether to such gross acts of sin as I 
had been guilty of before, yet, it grieves me to 
say, I lived entirely in the neglect of every re- 
ligious duty, and became more and more care- 
less about my eternal welfare. How wonderful 
is the forbearance and long-suffering of God in 
sparing such guilty creatures. Surely it is be- 
cause the Lord is God and not man that we are 
not consumed. 

" We arrived at our desired port after a pas- 
sage of twelve days, where we lay some time, 
and then proceeded for Charleston, South Car- 
olina, and from thence to New York again, 
where we arrived the first of April, fitted out 
for the West Indies, and sailed the sixteenth for 
St. Thomas, an island belonging to the Danes. 
We reached it in safety, after a passage of 
twenty-five days, and lay about eight weeks 
discharging our cargo and taking in another. 

" Being ready for sea, July 14th, we sailed 
for New York again, where we arrived after a 
moderate passage of twenty days. August 25th, 
I engaged on board the same vessel again for 
the purpose of fitting out with a cargo of horses 
for Port au Prince. 



DIVINE PROVIDENCE ILLUSTRATED. 41 

" By this time, I say it sorrowing, I had be- 
come, as it were, an abandoned reprobate, and 
had put off the fear of God from before my eyes. 
Why was I not cast off and plunged into the 
deepest hell ? Why did the Almighty reach 
forth his hand and save me when, to all appear- 
ance, we were in imminent danger ? To illus- 
trate the mercy of God to me in a providential 
manner, I shall relate a circumstance which 
took place October 6th, being then in the lati- 
tude of twenty-seven degrees north, and longi- 
tude of sixty-six degrees west. 

" Toward evening of the afore-mentioned day, 
it began to blow fresh, and came on very thick 
weather. Accordingly, we shortened sail. It 
continued to blow much the same, with exces- 
sive heavy rain .and exceedingly dark, until 
about eleven P.M., when, all on a sudden, we 
were struck by a violent squall, which knocked 
us down on our beam ends, and, at the same 
time, all the hay that was upon the awning 
went overboard. Providentially for us, the 
horses had been well secured before night, so 
that none of them fetched away or broke loose. 
Had not this been the case, in all probability 
we should have been lost, for every thing in the 
cabin fell to leeward, and it was with great dif- 
ficulty that the watch below got on deck. We 



42 CAPTAIN OBABIAH CONGAR. 

lay in this condition about five minutes, in the 
course of which time we cut the main halyards 
and got the sail down. Upon this being done, 
she wore round, and having got her before the 
wind, she righted, and we continued to scud to 
the westward until daylight, when we hove to 
under a balanced main sail. In the after part 
of the day the wind shifted suddenly to the 
westward, attended with tremendous flashes of 
lightning, insomuch that the sea appeared as if 
it were all on fire, while the hoarse thunder fol- 
lowed, peal on peal, as though nature were 
about to give its last expiring groan. 

" Daring this voyage in particular, I had be- 
come very profane, and had almost totally ban- 
ished the fear of God from my mind. But, 
while lying in Port au Prince, I was seized with 
a fever, which brought me to reflect a little, so 
that I left the practice of swearing, and would 
sometimes attempt to pray. But those were 
prayers that needed forgiveness. 

" We arrived at New York from Port au 
Prince December 18th, and, having discharged 
our cargo, I left the vessel, determining never 
to go another voyage with a load of live-stock ; 
and as Mr. S. gave me to understand that he 
intended to put horses on board, I gave up all 
idea of proceeding in her, and on the twenty- 



ENLISTS FOR A VOYAGE TO CHINA 43 

fourth of said month went over to Newark, with 
an intention to remain at home through the 
winter, and study the French language, from 
an apprehension that it might be of signal serv- 
ice to me in the West India trade. I engaged 
in and continued my study, though not with the 
strictest attention, until the sixth of March, 
1792. At this time, my teacher being taken 
sick, and having run through nearly all my 
money, I began to think it high time to go to 
sea again. Accordingly, I went over to New 
York with a view to look for a berth, and hap- 
pening to fall in with an acquaintance who was 
going as second mate of the ship Nancy, Cap- 
tain Wheaton, for Canton, in China, the voyage 
pleasing me, I engaged to go before the mast or 
otherwise, in the capacity of a sailor. 

" Being about to undertake a voyage which 
would be longer than I had been accustomed 
to, I began to consider seriously what I had 
been doing, and to take myself to task for my 
past life. I had been living in a course of sin 
and neglect of religion for many months. Add 
to this, that I considered my time and money 
spent to little advantage while studying French. 
Once more, then, I resolved to quit my sinful 
habits, and live more conformably to that relig- 
ion which I had been educated in. But, alas ! 



44 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

evil had become so rooted in my very nature, 
that nothing short of Almighty power could 
heal my corrupted heart, and enable me to tread 
the paths of virtue and piety. 

"We had a very favorable passage to the 
island of St. Jago, one of the Cape de Verds, 
where we watered and replenished our stock, 
and sailed again on the sixteenth of April, and 
reached the Cape of Good Hope by the twen- 
ty-third of June. At this place are two road- 
steads, one at Table Bay, which is the principal 
place at the Cape, and the other at False Bay, 
which lies on the southeast side of the prom- 
ontory, and where ships ride from May until 
October. About this time the prevailing winds 
come from the southeast, and then ships go 
round to Table Bay until the May following. 

" We lay at the Cape until July 11th, dis- 
charging part of our cargo and taking on board 
seal skins. Great part of the time we lay at 
this place the winds blew exceedingly strong 
from the northwest quarter, which being favor- 
able for us, we proceeded in due time on our 
way to Canton. August 21st, we entered the 
Straits of Sunda. On the twenty- second we 
were off Ango Point, and several canoes came 
alongside with turtle, poultry, fruit, tortoise 
shell, walking-sticks, monkeys, birds, and a va- 



REMARKS ON THE MALAYS. 45 

riety of curiosities. The land along here ap- 
peared very fertile, with abundance of cocoa- 
nut trees. 

" The town at Ango Point is small and very 
compact, built with bamboo and covered with 
thatch, and inhabited by natives who are called 
Malays, an uncivilized and very savage people. 
The Malays are generally about five feet two 
or three inches high, not very stout made, and 
of a copper or tawny complexion. In the Straits 
of Malacca, and among all those islands, they 
frequently capture merchantmen, the crews of 
which they instantly put to death. These peo- 
ple make use of a composition called fanam, 
which they chew in order to make their teeth 
black. 

"From the Straits of Sunda to Canton we 
had favorable winds, and on the thirteenth of 
September made the Grand Ladrone Island, 
and the same day came to anchor in Macao 
Roads. Macao is a considerable town, inhab- 
ited by the Chinese and Portuguese ; but though 
it is partly garrisoned by the latter, yet they 
have but little to say respecting the police. 
They are the only nation who are entitled to 
the privilege of settling in China, this favor be- 
ing granted them on account of their being the 
first navigators that found a passage from Eu- 



46 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

rope to this great empire by water, thus open- 
ing the great trade now carried on from all 
parts of the world to this country. 

" September 14th, we proceeded up to Wam- 
poa, a small town about fourteen miles below 
Canton, and nearly one hundred from Macao. 
Here the shipping lie, there not being water 
sufficient for them to proceed further up. Thus, 
after a passage of nearly six months (including 
the time we lay at the Cape of Good Hope), we 
arrived at what the Chinese vaingloriously call 
the Celestial Empire, the distance being about 
twelve thousand miles from America. 

" As I hinted at the commencement of this 
voyage, my mind took a religious turn again, 
and on the passage I had often formed resolu- 
tions to betake myself to such a course of life 
as would insure some happiness, having, upon 
mature consideration, come to this conclusion, 
that happiness was not to be found in a sinful 
course of life : thence the reason why I had 
never experienced any. Having much oppor- 
tunity, my mind was much employed contem- 
plating on these things. Yet, under these im- 
pressions, I could not see that beauty in religion 
that I would be willing to give up all for the 
sake of it ; and though I had beheld many of 
the wonders of Providence, yet I could not take 
God for my portion. 



PERILOUS BOATING TO MACAO. 47 

" About a month after our arrival at Canton, 
a Captain Smith, who had sold his vessel in 
India, a Mr. Green, and Mr. Woods, who had 
been mates of vessels, had some business to 
Macao, and, as we were not much employed on 
board, they prevailed upon Captain Wheaton 
to let them take the ship's long boat and two 
hands to take them to the above-mentioned 
place, having with them two American sailors, 
one of them named Allen and the other Melvin, 
besides a Frenchman, who wished to take a 
passage with us. 

" David Andress and myself were the two 
pitched upon for this expedition. We left the 
ship on Saturday, October 13th, 1792, at about 
one o'clock P.M., being eight in number. The 
wind being favorable, though but light, and the 
tide being with us, we passed through the Bogue 
of Tigris, which is about thirty-five miles from 
Canton, at eight P.M. We continued on as far 
as Green Island, and came to anchor about nine 
miles from the Bogue of Tigris, it being thought 
imprudent to run in the night, on account of the 
fishing stakes placed in different parts of the 
passage which leads from Canton to Macao. 
By means of a rope stretched from one to the 
other, about eight feet from the water, for the 
purpose of strengthening them, the passage is 
rendered very dangerous for small boats. 



48 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

" Under an apprehension that these stakes 
might be fatal to us should we venture to run 
in the night, our gentlemen thought most pru- 
dent to come to anchor and wait for daylight. 
Now, however imprudent it might be to run 
while the tide was against us, it certainly was 
much more so with the tide in our favor. Nev- 
ertheless, our gentlemen became impatient, and, 
the wind springing up pretty fresh, they determ- 
ined to get under way and proceed on our pas- 
sage. Accordingly, we hove our anchor up at 
half pust one o'clock on Sunday morning, the 
fourteenth of October. The wind blowing fresh, 
we took a reef in our main sail, and, as it was 
dark, one person was stationed in the bow of 
the boat, with a cutlass in his hand, that he 
might cut the rope in case we should see and 
could not avoid it. 

" We had not run more than two hours when 
the one forward upon the look-out cried out to 
the man at the helm that the stakes were ahead, 
the boat going at so great a rate that the words 
were scarcely out of his mouth before we were 
foul of the rope, the man with the cutlass miss- 
ing his blow. The tide was running so rapid 
that the boat upset and filled in an instant ; see- 
ing which, I sprang for the rope, and held on, 
while the boat was carried down with the tide. 



PROVIDENTIAL AND STRANGE ESCAPE. 49 

Supposing it had sunk, having stone ballast in, 
I held on to the rope a few moments, when 
something coming across my hands broke them 
loose, and I was left on the water to shift as 
well as I could, the night being dark, and we 
at least ten miles from any land. 

" It were impossible for me to describe my 
doleful apprehensions at this juncture. I cried, 
i Lord, have mercy on me V and saw no pros- 
pect but that this was all of earth to me. Hear- 
ing some of my companions hallooing, I joined 
in the general cry, hoping that some fishing 
boat might be near us. In this sad dilemma, I 
swam toward them, not supposing, at the same 
time, they had any better dependence than my- 
self. But blessed be God ! who in this trying 
time was near and ready to save by a provi- 
dence all his own. It so happened, when the 
boat went down or upset, that the ballast tum- 
bled out; therefore she floated, and, as I came 
up with the others, I found part of them hold- 
ing on to the wreck, which kept them from 
sinking. But, alas ! those gloomy waters that 
dismal night were already the grave of three of 
our number. These were Allen, Melvin, and 
the Frenchman, whom we never heard of more. 
Reflect upon this providential discrimination for 
thee, oh my soul, and bless God that thou wast 
D 



50 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

not numbered with thy companions who met 
an untimely death. 

"As soon as I had hold of the boat, I exercised 
myself immediately in securing some spars to- 
gether to keep myself up, and in this condition 
fancied I was as safe as on land, comparatively 
speaking, and I thanked God for the signal in- 
terposition of his providence in saving me in so 
perilous a time. Had I been truly sensible of 
our critical situation, perhaps I should not have 
felt so easy, for we were now nearly eight miles 
from land, and the night very dark. Moreover, 
the wind beginning to blow quite hard, the 
swell rose so as to almost wash us from the 
boat. And, besides, the inhospitality of the Chi- 
nese is such that we had something to fear, rath* 
er than any thing to hope from them, in our dif. 
cult circumstances. 

" While in this situation we felt the cold se- 
verely ; the water was chilled, and we without 
clothing, for we had thrown the most part off, 
so that our condition was truly distressing. We 
drifted down with the tide and wind, without a 
glimmering of relief, until daylight, which was 
nearly three hours from the time we upset. 

" As soon as it was fairly light, we discovered 
some fishing boats at anchor about two miles 
from us, and as the tide and wind drifted us 



SAVED BY CHINESE FISHERMEN. 51 

directly toward them, our hopes revived, but 
only to sink again ; for, the tide being nearly 
spent, we soon ceased to drift, and melancholy 
sat upon each countenance. 

"We now joined our voices, in hopes that 
some of them might hear us ; and, although we 
judged we were fairly within hearing, yet no 
one regarded. In this desperate and unfriend- 
ed peril, one small ray of hope yet remained. 
The tide of flood being made, we saw several 
Chinese boats getting under way to beat up. 
After some time, one of them, standing across 
the bay, came pretty near us, and we made 
signs to them of our distress, but all in vain ; 
they looked on and passed us by, like the priest 
and the Levite. 

"But it pleased the Lord that we should not 
perish. In a short time after another boat came 
near, when, with our cries, and offering them a 
gold watch which one of the gentlemen had 
saved, besides one hundred dollars, they were 
prevailed upon to take pity on us and carry us 
to Macao. These, indeed, seemed to have some 
feeling for the distressed, for they gave us some 
clothes to put on (we having been about four 
hours in the chill water, and the weather quite 
cool), and some boiled rice and cakes to eat. 
We got the boat bailed out, and saved the most 



52 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

of the sails and rigging, and took her in tow 
with us to Macao, where we arrived at five P.M. 
the same day. 

" Methinks if I ever exercised gratitude to- 
ward the Supreme Being for any deliverance, I 
did at this time, and not without resolutions to 
live henceforth in a very different manner from 
what I had done. Yea, I thought now none 
should ever turn me from my serious purpose 
of serving God. We remained in Macao until 
the Saturday following, repairing and fitting 
our boat in order to return to Wampoa, where 
we arrived on the Tuesday evening following, 
to the joy of all on board. 

" By the twenty-sixth of December, our ship 
being loaded and ready for sea, we unmoored 
and dropped down the river, in company with 
the ship Hunter, Captain Homestead, bound to 
New York. December 28th, passed Macao, 
discharged the pilot, and stood to sea, with a 
fine breeze and glad hearts. "We had a fine run 
to North Island, in the Straits of Sunda, where 
homeward-bound ships frequently touch for 
wood and water. As soon as we had brought 
our ship to anchor and furled her sails, on the 
thirteenth of January, 1793, we hove the boats 
out, and went with them wooding and watering. 
On the same day the Hunter came to anchor 
here p^hn. 



INCIDENTS OF HOMEWARD VOYAGE. 53 

" The natives here are much more savage 
than at Ango Point, insomuch that we found it 
necessary to go armed with muskets and cut- 
lasses, in case we should be attacked by them. 
Tuesday, the fifteenth, we sailed from North Isl- 
and, and on the seventeenth left the Straits of 
Sunda. We stood into the latitude of about 
ten degrees south, where, having a good trade 
wind, we shaped our course for the Cape of 
Good Hope. 

" At this time my mind took a more serious 
turn than ever on the things which concern the 
soul ; and now I resolved to make religion the 
principal concern of my life. We had a favor- 
able time until we arrived at the Cape of Good 
Hope, which was on the eighth of March. Here 
we lay trafficking and repairing our rudder, 
which was in bad condition, until the twenty- 
first of the same month, when we sailed for the 
West Indies. 

" April 27th, in latitude sixteen degrees and 
twenty minutes north, and longitude fifty-seven 
degrees west, we saw a sail standing toward 
us ; and, being desirous to speak her, we took 
in our light sails and laid aback. She soon 
came up with us, and proved to be a small 
armed sloop. We hailed her from whence she 
came. The answ r er was, ' From a cruise, and 



54 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

bound on a cruise.' At the same time we ob- 
served her decks to be full of men, and saw that 
she was armed to the teeth. 

" Surprised and alarmed at this, not know- 
ing any thing of the war between France and 
England, some believed her to be a pirate. As 
she passed along under our lee and wore ship, 
we cleared our guns and loaded them well, get- 
ting them all on one side. But when they 
came up with us the second time, they were 
more mild in their language, and informed us 
there was war in Europe, and that they had 
letters of marque and reprisal, and were cruis- 
ing for French ships. They examined our pa- 
pers, and being in want of water, we supplied 
them with a cask, and parted, happy to find it 
no worse. 

" Monday, the twenty-ninth, made the island 
of Guadaloupe, and on the thirtieth came to 
anchor in St. Eustatia Roads, the ship "Wash- 
ington lying here, which had sailed eleven days 
before us from Canton. We lay in St. Eusta- 
tia till the eleventh of May, and then sailed for 
New York, where we arrived after a pleasant 
passage of eleven days, much rejoiced to see 
my native land once more, especially when 
looking back and reflecting what various and 
giant dangers I had escaped. Country and 



HAPPINESS OF A HOME ASHORE. 55 

friends seemed dearer to me than ever before ; 
the wish of my heart was that I might never 
leave them more, and I envied those who were 
quietly settled ashore." 



Happy the man, not doomed afar to roam, 

In distant lands, beneath a foreign sky, 

Who hath a humble and secluded home, 

Bathed by the little brook that prattles by, 

With trees begirt, and birds that warble nigh. 

He, as he sitteth in his humble state, 

Hath little cause for earth's poor gauds to sigh ; 

He needs not envy whom the world calls great, 

Who live in splendid house, with men that on them wait. 



56 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 



Chapter III. 

RELIGIOUS CONVICTIONS, PROVIDENCES, TRIALS, 
AND TRIUMPHS. 

Man's spirit hath an upward look, 
And robes itself with heavenly wings ; 
E'en when 'tis here compelled to brook 
Confinement to terrestrial things. 
Its eye is fastened on the skies ; 
Its wings for flight are opened wide ; 
Why doth it hesitate to rise ? 
And still upon the earth abide ? 

T. C. Upham. 

We have now reached a period in this auto- 
biography when the powers of the world to 
come seized the subject of it with a grasp that 
was never after lost, though sometimes relaxed, 
until himself passed into that dread world. We 
have seen the growing seriousness of mind and 
gratitude to God induced by danger and deliv- 
erance, and that ease did not at once recant 
vows made in pain. His first act, on getting 
once more among his friends at Newark, was 
to offer up public thanks in church to the Au- 
thor and Preserver of his life for his great good- 
ness in restoring him in safety to his relatives 
and native land, and his language was that he 



CAPTURED BY PRIVATEERS. 57 

had now resolved to make it the business of his 
life to seek and do the will of that God who 
had preserved him when in imminent danger, 
and when all hope had fled. 

It was not long, however, that he remained 
ashore, his services being soon called for as mate 
of a vessel to the West Indies. During his ab- 
sence at this time, his vessel was twice over- 
hauled by privateers, and a prize-master put 
on board, and property belonging to Frenchmen 
confiscated. The second time he lay sick of a 
fever incurred in the port to which they had 
been ordered. Scarcely had they landed the 
condemned cargo and hastily taken another and 
stood out to sea, when they were boarded by 
the privateer Fanny and Polly, Captain Don- 
ald, who, after examining their papers and the 
passengers' trunks, upon suspicion of still hav- 
ing French property on board, ordered them to 
Jamaica, putting a prize-master and crew on 
board, and taking part of the vessel's crew on 
board the privateer. The sick mate they per- 
mitted to remain on board the schooner by rea- 
son of his illness. " This," he says, " was a 
trying time to me. The fever ran high, and, 
the cabin being full of passengers, there was 
no place where I could be comfortable, and 
scarcely any one to give me a drink of water. 



58 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

In this situation I remained until we arrived at 
Port Antonia, on the east end of Jamaica. The 
next day after our arrival I went on shore and 
sent for a physician, who at once administered 
medicine. I continued extremely low three or 
four days, insomuch that there was little hope 
of my recovery. 

" At this time my thoughts were much en- 
gaged about the concerns of my soul. I viewed 
myself as a great sinner threatened with death, 
and without hope, except such as arose from 
an idea that my prayers and cries might pre- 
vail upon the Most High to have mercy upon 
me. This, however, did not give me peace. I 
read the Bible whenever I was able ; I repented 
because I was afraid of punishment ; I made 
solemn vows, if the Lord spared me, that I 
would live a better life ; and, at the same time, 
the tempter was permitted to fill my mind with 
thoughts too bad to mention. But my life was 
to be prolonged, to show what was in my heart. 
In about a week's time, through the skillfulness 
of my physician and good nursing, it pleased 
God that I should once more recover so far as 
to be able to walk about. Nevertheless, I re- 
mained still feeble, and under apprehensions. 

" On the nineteenth we were ordered round 
to Kingston to take our trial. I was put on 



TAKES THE WEST INDIA SICKNESS. 59 

board a small schooner, a prize to the same pri- 
vateer, and which they were taking round to 
have her trial likewise, having the said priva- 
teer in company with us. The next morning 
after we sailed we saw a sail which was sup- 
posed to be a French privateer ; accordingly, 
we made the best of our way back to Port An- 
tonia. The privateer and our schooner, being 
ahead of us, fell in with her, and finding her to 
be an English vessel, therefore made the best 
of their way to Kingston. I remained at Port 
Antonia until the twenty-eighth, and an oppor- 
tunity then offering for Kingston, I embraced 
it, and arrived at that port September 1st. The 
same evening, being taken with a relapse, I 
went on shore, where I remained extremely 
low five or six days, after which time the fever 
abated, and I recovered appetite and strength. 
" In the mean time the schooner was dis- 
charged, and such part of the cargo as appeared 
to belong to the passengers was condemned, 
and we were permitted to take the rest on board 
and proceed home. By the nineteenth of Sep- 
tember I had so far recovered as to be able to 
go on board again, and on the twenty-first we 
dropped down to Port Royal, leaving our pas- 
sengers behind at their desire, and on the twen- 
ty-third we sailed for New York. The day 



60 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

before, however, I was taken with a second re- 
lapse ; and now, being out of the reach of a 
physician and those necessaries requisite in such 
cases, I was greatly alarmed. 

" Daily growing worse, and expecting a long 
passage, knowing we had to go through the 
Gulf of Florida, my spirits sank, and I had 
nearly given up all hopes of seeing my native 
land ever again. But, blessed be God ! it was 
determined otherwise. I continued extremely 
low until we had nearly reached the coast, in- 
somuch that sometimes the captain despaired 
of my life ; but, on approaching the land, and 
getting the weather a little cool, my appetite 
came again, and I once more began to mend." 

Narrowly escaping shipwreck, they reached 
port on the twenty-eighth of October. Through- 
out that fall and the ensuing winter, up to the 
spring of 1794, he was subject to relapses of 
fever, which entirely laid him by, and did much 
to impair his constitution, but much also, in the 
discipline of God's wise providence, to repair 
and renovate his soul. He found, as many have, 
like David, that it was good for him to be af- 
flicted, that he might keep God's law. Ill 
health went far to soften and subdue him, and 
make him put a true estimate upon sublunary 
things. It was a necessary part of the treat- 



THE DISCIPLINE OF AFFLICTION. 61 

ment he was undergoing by an all-wise Physi- 
cian for the restoring of health to his soul. "We 
think we see evidence that its effect upon him 
was that always meant and often realized by 
such schooling. 

The .-heart that God breaks with affliction's stroke, 
Oft, like the flower when stricken by the storm, 
Rises from earth, more steadfastly to turn 
Itself to heaven, whither, as a guide, 
Kindly, though stern, Affliction still is leading, 
Even to the home of endless joy and peace. 
There, on the borders of that better land, 
Shall Pain's sharp ministry forever cease. 
Then shall we bless Thee, safely landed there, 
And know above how good thy teachings were ; 
Then feel thy keenest strokes to us in love were given, 
That hearts most crushed on earth shall most rejoice in heaven. 

By June of 1794 the health of our mariner 
was so far restored that he was able to under- 
take a voyage to the island of Cura^oa as chief 
mate of the brig Iphigenia ; and in August of 
the same year we find him in command of the 
brig William for the same island, on the pas- 
sage to which he was boarded successively by 
Spanish, French, and English privateers, but 
suffered to proceed. 

Early in 1795 he is at Kingston, Jamaica, 
where he was again exposed to the yellow fe- 
ver, and lost by it his chief mate and one of his 
men, all being more or less sick. He describes 



62 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

in the following manner, from eye-witness, the 
funeral ceremonies performed by the blacks in 
the island of Jamaica : " As soon as any person 
is dead, the connexions and acquaintance gath- 
er around the corpse, and begin to sing and 
dance, and play upon the banjo and other kinds 
of music as simple. When evening comes 
on, they gather in greater numbers, insomuch 
that their noise may be heard a mile. They 
continue in this manner until daylight, when 
they depart every one to his house. In the 
afternoon they assemble again, bring the corpse 
out into the yard, and, if it is a person of dis- 
tinction among them, the coffin is very neatly 
painted and costlily furnished. Then they com- 
mence dancing, singing, and playing upon their 
musical instruments again, which they continue 
until near evening. When the corpse is taken 
up to be carried to the place of interment, two 
or three of the most distinguished among them 
are ornamented with ribbons in their hats, and, 
carrying colors, follow the corpse. The rest — 
men, women, and children — bring up the rear, 
with singing, dancing, and music as before. 
Thus they proceed until the person is interred, 
when each one returns to his place. I have 
been informed they have an idea that the soul 
of the deceased returns to its native country 






COMMANDS A SHIP FOR FRANCE. 63 

(Guinea), and that music, dancing, &c, ren- 
ders the soul more happy until it reaches its 
home." 

Saved again from a grave in the West In- 
dies, and narrowly escaping shipwreck on the 
Double-headed-shot Keys, Captain Congar re- 
turns to New York, and is immediately put in 
command of the new ship Alexander Hamilton, 
bound to the port of Nantes, France. On this 
European passage his human sensibilities as a 
benevolent and careful captain w r ere greatly af- 
fected by losing overboard one of his sailors 
from the main yard. The voyage was success- 
ful, and he proceeded from Nantes to the Downs 
and London, and thence to St. Ubes, Portugal, 
for a cargo of salt. Dismasted, on the way 
back to New York, in a furious squall, their 
course was delayed ; and they fell out of pro- 
visions, but were providentially supplied by 
another vessel fallen in with. 

Soon after arriving at New York, he entered 
the marriage state, in January, 1796, with Miss 
P. V. Riper, of Newark, being himself in the 
twenty-eighth year of his age. Almost imme- 
diately after he sailed for Ireland and St. Ubes, 
and on his return was at once off again to Liv- 
erpool, taking his employer and family as pas- 
sengers. The fourth day out f his employer 



64 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

died, and soon after a friend who had accom- 
panied him, leaving his widow to the sympathy 
and care of Captain Congar, who himself fell 
ill with the same distemper that had carried 
off his passengers. He gratefully notices the 
sovereign mercy of God in his recovery, and in 
an opportunity afforded him in a succeeding 
voyage to save the crew of a leaky ship, at a 
great risk to his own. 

Through perils in port and sea, by privateers- 
men and men-of-war, from terrific gales and 
prospect of foundering in a leaky ship, which 
he with difficulty kept his men from abandon- 
ing, we track his course through the pages of 
his journal up to 1798. It is always the course 
of a humane, upright, liberal, and conscientious 
American sea captain, yet without the peace 
of God, which passeth all understanding, keep- 
ing his heart and mind in Christ Jesus, and, 
consequently, not happy. On the ninth of May, 
1798, he enters that his mind had been consid- 
erably exercised upon religion on the late pas- 
sage to Madeira, in the ship Ceres. 

" Having with me Hopkins's System of Di- 
vinity, I read it with great attention, my mind 
being particularly affected with that part which 
treats of the sins of all mankind being made 
manifest or revealed at the judgment. Know- 



READING THEOLOGY AT SEA. 65 

ing my sins to be of a crimson dye, I trembled 
at the thought of having them made known to 
the world ; and, as I had often done in difficult 
circumstances before, so now I resolved to live 
more in the fear of God, and with a view to the 
judgment of the great day." 

Severe trials now befell him in a course of 
disasters on ship-board, and the sickness of his 
wife, and his arrival at New York at the height 
of the prevalence of yellow fever in the sum- 
mer of 1798, when seventy-two were falling 
victims to it in one day. " Death," he says, 
" seemed to brandish his scythe as though he 
were commissioned to cut down all. This pas- 
sage in the Lamentations appeared to be veri- 
fied in a particular manner : ' How doth the 
city sit solitary that was full of people !' Sol- 
itary indeed ! I have passed through a whole 
street, and scarcely observed a soul moving. 

" On one of these days of pestilence we cast 
off from the wharf. The wind being very light, 
our boy, who was about twelve years of age, 
was sent up to clear away the main top-gallant 
royal, but, on what account we never could 
learn, he had scarcely reached the top-gallant 
yard when he fell. Hearing something shock 
the deck, I cast my eyes around, and saw the 
boy lying on the companion way, flat on his face, 
E 



GO CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONG AST. 

and motionless. We took him up, supposing 
him to be dead, but he soon began to cry. We 
then rubbed him all over with camphor and 
spirits, and put him in a warm bed, and in less 
than a week he was able to walk considerably, 
and in a week more returned to his duty again. 
Had I not been eye-witness to these facts, I 
could not have believed it possible for any per- 
son to have survived such a fall." 

This was the first of a train of difficulties 
that ran through this voyage. The first day 
out for Liverpool, yellow fever appeared on 
board, to their great dismay. Another of their 
most able-bodied seamen was thrown oft' duty 
by a severe fall, and fatal shipwreck was bare- 
ly avoided on Sable Island. On the return, the 
journal says, " I believe it will not be far from 
the truth if I say we lay to almost every other 
day all the month of January ; and about ten 
days before we arrived, as we were hove to, a 
heavy sea came on board, which knocked the 
long boat out of the chocks, washed away the 
booby-hatch, a great quantity of water going 
down in the steerage, stove in the quarter-boards, 
washed the binnacle overboard, and set us all 
afloat in the cabin. This happened while we 
were at supper, so that it made a clean sweep 
of every thing on the table. Fortunately, there 



A TRAIN OF DISASTERS ON SHIFBuAKD. bi 

was but one man on deck, and he had notice 
of it time enough to secure himself. 

" February 22d, 1799, we made Sandy Hook, 
but it coming on to blow very hard from the 
northwest, we were under the necessity of let- 
ting go our anchors to prevent being blown off, 
though we were twelve miles from the land, 
and, consequently, pretty rough swell. Our 
anchors had not been down more than an hour 
when the small bower cable parted, and the 
other being insufficient to hold her, she contin- 
ued to drag all night, so that in the morning 
we could scarcely see the Highlands of Never- 
sink. 

" The sea having broke over us fore and aft 
in the night, which froze instantly, our vessel 
appeared one solid body of ice from the stem to 
stern-post. At eleven o'clock next day, the 
weather moderating, we went to work clearing 
the ice off the decks, and hove up the anchor, 
but, to our mortification, there was little more 
than the stock left. The wind being from the 
westward, we could not get up to the Hook un- 
til the twenty-fourth. This night the cold was 
terrible ; we could not come to anchor, for we 
had none, therefore were obliged to carry sail 
all night, in order to keep in with the land, and 
we barely escaped freezing. Next day wo for- 



68 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

tunately reached the city, through very much 
ice running in the channel. Thus ended a voy- 
age begun with trouble and finished with hard- 
ships." 

These extreme hardships had well-nigh driv- 
en Captain Congar from the sea. But, like the 
innately industrious every where, he found it 
harder to bear a want of employment than to 
brave the battle and the breeze ; and, after four 
months of tedious shore life, we find him in an 
armed merchant ship, sailing in company with 
a fleet of others to the West Indies, for protec- 
tion against pirates and privateers. In this 
voyage, only six of the forty that made up the 
complement of his ship, besides himself, escaped 
the "West India fever ; and eight of the number 
they buried on the island of St. Domingo. 

The nineteenth century opened with a voy- 
age to Bristol, England, in command of the ship 
Penelope ; and it is at the close of this that we 
find the first satisfactory indications of the life 
of nature slain, and the life of God beginning 
in the soul of the mariner whose experience we 
trace. In another chapter we will pursue and 
develop those indications. 



When I review my ways, 
I dread impending doom ; 



BEGINNING OF THE LIFE OF GOD IN THE SOUL. 69 

But sure, a friendly whisper says, 
" Flee from the wrath to come." 
I see, or think 1 see, 

A GLIMMERING FROM AFAR*, 

A beam of day that shines for me, 

To save me from despair. 
Forerunner of the sun, 

It marks the pilgrim's way ; 
I'll gaze upon it while I run, 

And watch the rising day. 



70 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 



Chapter IV. 

RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE, PROFESSION, TEMPTATIONS, 
AND ESCAPE. 

When I, in my distress, my anchor Hope can cast 
Within the promises, it holds my vessel fast : 

Safely she then at anchor rides, 

Mid stormy blasts and swelling tides. 

If a dead calm ensues, and Heaven no breezes give, 
The oar of prayer I use, I tug, and toil, and strive : 

Through storms and calms for many a day, 

I make but very little way. 

But when a heavenly breeze springs up and fills my sail, 
My vessel goes with ease before the pleasant gale ; 

It runs as much an hour, or more, 

As in a month or two before. 

The Heavenly Mariner. 

We are now entering the most remarkable 
period in Captain Congar's history — the period 
within which he solemnly consecrated himself 
to the service of his Maker, and entered into 
covenant relations with the visible church. In 
the month of June, 1800, he makes this entry 
in his journal : " Perhaps there have been few 
instances of a life spent like mine. Those re- 
ligious impressions made on my mind, through 
the unwearied instruction and solicitude of a 



RESOLVES TO BE A CHRISTIAN. 71 

tender parent, could not easily be erased ; so 
that, although convictions have been stifled and 
serious reflection banished at times when I have 
given myself up to abandoned wickedness, yet, 
when some afflictive providence has befallen me, 
or some threatening of God's wrath has been 
ready, as it were, to be executed on me, then I 
have thought upon my ways ; so that by turns 
I have been the subject of great convictions, 
and then, again, would fall into the most aban- 
doned licentiousness and profaneness. 

" The difficulties experienced on the outward- 
bound passage of the last voyage seemed once 
more to rouse me up, and compel me, like the 
affrighted mariners of Tarshish, to call upon 
my God. Methought I took greater delight in 
reading the Scriptures than ever I had done be- 
fore, many passages of which seemed to strike 
my mind with great force, and I wondered that 
I should have misimproved so great a boon as 
the Bible so long. I now once more formed 
resolutions to amend my ways, and not only 
lead a moral life, but, through the assistance of 
God's grace, to become a Christian, I felt, in 
a measure, my own weakness, and endeavored 
to look for strength from above ; and when I ar- 
rived in Bristol, I attended public worship more 
constantly than had usually been the case before. 



72 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

In the course of this voyage I often reflected 
upon the propriety of performing family wor- 
ship when at home, and frequently resolved to 
make the attempt if I should be spared to re- 
turn. But, alas ! here I failed again. Surely 
I did not see the worthiness in Jehovah to be 
adored by all his intelligent creatures, or I 
would not have withheld the praises due unto 
his name. 

" Nevertheless, before I went to sea again, I 
acquainted my wife that it was my wish to join 
in prayer with her morning and evening, which 
she acquiesced in, and for the first time I made 
the attempt. Soon after we sailed on another 
voyage to Bristol, through the course of which 
my mind was generally exercised, more or less, 
on the importance of religion, and particularly 
on the subject of family worship at home, which 
practice, through divine assistance, I was ena- 
bled to pursue when restored to them again. 
How far I was sincere in my devotions the 
Searcher of hearts knows best, but I have rea- 
son to conclude it was more the force of educa- 
tion than a real desire to glorify God. Be this 
as it may, I certainly was very ignorant of the 
nature of true religion." 

From this time we find him more and more 
sensitive to sin, and also to the goodness of God, 



EXPERIENCE OP THE CHRISTIAN WARFARE. 73 

in his deliverance from a certain imminent dan- 
ger. But he was plunging deep into the war- 
fare described in the seventh chapter of Ro- 
mans ; and his experience now was that narra- 
ted with so much simplicity in the old " Dia- 
logue between a Believer and his Soul" 

Oh ! I sink beneath the load of my nature's evil ; 
Full of enmity to God, captived by the devil : 
Restless as the troubled seas ; feeble, faint, and fearful ; 
Plagued with every sore disease, how can I be cheerful ? 

'* Think on what thy Savior bore in the gloomy garden^ 
Sweating blood at every pore, to procure thy pardon : 
See him stretch'd upon the wood, bleeding, grieving, crying ; 
Suffering all the wrath of God, groaning, gasping, dying." 

This by faith I sometimes view, and those views relieve me ; 
But my sins return anew ; these are they that grieve me. 
Oh ! I'm leprous, filthy, foul — quite throughout infected : 
Have not I, if any soul, cause to be dejected ? 

11 Pore not on thyself too long, lest it sink thee lower ; 
Look to Jesus, kind as strong, mercy join'd with power. 
Every work that thou must do, will thy gracious Savior 
For thee work, and in thee too, of his special favor." 

Jesus' precious blood once spilt, I depend on solely, 
To relieve and clear my guilt, but I would be holy. 
" He that bought thee on the cross can control thy nature, 
Fully purge away thy dross, make thee a new creature." 

That he can I nothing doubt, be it but his pleasure. 
11 Though it be not done throughout, may it not in measure ?" 
When that measure, far from great, still shall seem decreas- 
ing— 
"Faint not then, but pray and wait, never, never ceasing," 



74 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

While in the experience of this conflict, Cap- 
tain Congar's ship was again ordered to Ireland 
with a cargo of flaxseed, one of his owners being 
on board as a passenger. On their arrival they 
found that great numbers of the inhabitants 
were about leaving their native soil for the 
United States, and that some ships were al- 
ready preparing to receive them. The pros- 
pect of gain, therefore, induced the owner to 
put up the newly-arrived American ship for 
passengers. As soon as the cargo was dis- 
charged, says the journal, we went to work put- 
ting up berths and building houses on deck for 
them. In the mean time, I was employed en- 
gaging them and receiving - passage - money, 
which was at the rate of four guineas and a 
half for every full passenger. 

" About the middle of April, having about 
three hundred engaged in all, including men, 
women, and children, we began to receive them 
on board. But such was the rage of this peo- 
ple for going to America, about eighty more 
made their appearance, so that at last I was 
much at a loss where to put them, and even 
then others came and begged for a passage, and 
would hardly take no for an answer. When 
they were all on board, our ship presented a lit- 
tle town, for we had no less than six houses on 



TKIALfl WJTH EMIGRANT PASSENGERS. 75 

the quarter-deck that would hold about six or 
eight, and two on the main deck, each of which 
held eighteen ; and, besides, we built a shed 
over the long-boat, where six or eight more took 
up their residence. Thus we set sail the twen- 
ty-eighth day of April, and on the second of 
May took our departure from Cape Clear. By 
this time many of them were very sea-sick, and 
would gladly have been on the turf again. But, 
alas ! many of them were never to see it more. 
" Unhappily for us, we had not been at sea 
many days before some of them were taken sick 
with a fever, and some with the dysentery, and 
though not many of them died while we were at 
sea, to such a degree had these disorders in- 
creased among them, that not less than eighty 
were sick when we arrived, several of whom 
lived but a short time after. Among the rest, 
I had a touch of the fever a few days before 
we made the land, but was so far recovered as 
to be able to attend to business when we got 
into port. Providentially, we had a favorable 
passage, or it would most likely have gone very 
ill with us indeed. We came to anchor at 
Staten Island in forty-two days, having buried 
at sea six adults and seventeen children; and, 
from what I could learn, about one hundred in 
all died before they left the quarantine ground. 



76 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

One successful voyage after this to Madeira, 
and the sea life of Captain Congar is suspended 
for a few years, during which he assayed the 
business of a dry goods merchant at Newark. 
About this time we find the following entry : 
" Since my arrival from Madeira, my mind has 
been more engaged about religion than usual, 
which some of my friends observing, hinted to 
me, one evening, as we were walking to church, 
that the present would be a favorable opportu- 
nity of offering myself as a member, inasmuch 
as the Session were about to meet shortly for 
the purpose of examining such as came forward 
to join. This hint started me like one awaked 
out of sleep, and before I could make an an- 
swer, drew the conclusion that I was not fit; 
for, though I had thought some time past of of- 
fering myself as one desirous to join the Church, 
yet I had not brought the time so near. From 
this forward my thoughts have been more en- 
gaged about my situation, and have besought 
the Lord more earnestly that he would direct 
me to do that which should be most for his 
glory. 

" When searching more attentively into my 
own heart, I found it exceeding hard and vile. 
Some persons, I found, could melt into tears 
when the idea of a crucified Savior was held up 



HAPPY RELIGIOUS EXERCISES. 77 

to view, and in my youthful days me thinks I 
have felt something like this too, moving my 
passions when this subject has been preached. 
But now it was quite otherwise; my heart 
seemed harder than adamant, and sometimes I 
was tempted to conclude the Lord had left me 
to a state of impenitency and hardness of heart ; 
and that, although there never appeared a more 
seasonable time to embrace religion, now I could 
not find it in my mind to do it, for my external 
performances did not satisfy me. I had done 
all that was required. I now cast myself upon 
the mercy of a gracious God, imploring his for- 
giveness, and that he would soften my hard 
heart, and lead me to sincere repentance and 
faith in Christ ; and to my exceeding great com- 
fort, surely the Lord was pleased to hear my re- 
quest. Early on Sunday morning, the third of 
January, 1802, my mind was more than usually 
impressed with the importance of having an in- 
terest in the Redeemer's blood ; and, feeling my 
helpless condition, I was led to seek God with 
my whole soul, that he would pardon my many 
transgressions, and heal a polluted mind, and 
teach me the way of life. Such were my ex- 
ercises, that I rose to prayer before day, and 
then went downstairs to make a fire. While 
employed in this office, I began to sing, 



78 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

" ? Come hither, all ye weary souls.' 

" At this time my soul seemed overcome 
with a sense of my great unworthiness, and of 
the adorable perfections of Jehovah. These 
wrought upon my mind so that I burst into 
tears. I again went on my knees, imploring 
the Divine direction that I might not be deceiv- 
ed, and that I might be preserved from offend- 
ing God any more, desiring these impressions 
might be lasting. This was a pleasant Sab- 
bath to me. If I be not deceived, I could truly 
say, One day in the courts of the Lord are bet- 
ter than a thousand elsewhere. My mind seem- 
ed to soar above the things of time and sense, 
and held converse with Heaven. 

" I now formed resolutions to forsake every 
sin and follow God's commands. My mind has 
been composed, by turns, concerning my spir- 
itual state, and by turns I have felt hardened, 
and sometimes indifferent, and at other times 
see so much vileness in myself that I can not 
help forming a conclusion that I am yet in the 
gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity ; and then, 
like St. Paul, I find a law in my members war- 
ring against the law in my mind, and bringing 
me into captivity to the law of sin which is in 
my members. 

" This evening, being at a conference meet- 



THE BLADE, THE EAR, FULL CORN IN THE EAR. 79 

ing, I was called upon to pray, which, for the 
first time in public, I attempted, according to 
the best of my ability, but not without a sense 
of my great unworthiness and insufficiency. 
Shortly after, I lost sight, more or less, of that 
glorious character which had but a little before 
filled my mind with delight, so that when I at- 
tended meeting the Thursday following, I found 
very little comfort, and rather felt, as it were, 
condemned, and without hope. I was full of 
fear lest my ingratitude had provoked a just 
God to cast me off. These struggles in my 
mind broke me of my rest. The next day it 
pleased a merciful and all-wise Sovereign to 
give me such views of himself, that I felt will- 
ing to be in his hands, esteeming myself un- 
worthy of the least mercy, and earnestly en- 
treating that I might not be left to unbelief and 
hardness of heart, and that I might be enabled 
to lead such a life before him as would be ac- 
ceptable through Jesus, the dear Redeemer. 

" From this time onward till Wednesday, the 
twenty-seventh of January, 1802, I frequently 
had views of myself as a great sinner for neg- 
lecting so many precious calls and warnings, 
and misimproving so much precious time. At 
other times the character of God through Jesus 
Christ appeared so desirable, that my soul chose 



80 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

this God for my portion and hope, and methinks 
I find a greater pleasure in approaching the 
throne of grace than I have usually experi- 
enced. At this time I called to see one of the 
elders, to whom I. related my exercises, and who 
told me he thought it would be proper for me 
to come forward on the next occasion and make 
a public profession of religion. 

" Although my mind had been much exer- 
cised on this matter of late, yet I was not fully 
resolved what to do. I did not seem to fear the 
revilings of men so much as my own insincer- 
ity. Thongh it appeared the duty of every in- 
telligent creature to love God with all his mind 
and strength, and the plan of salvation by Jesus 
Christ seemed reasonable, and fit, and worthy 
to be embraced by every son of Adam, yet I 
felt a great backwardness lest I should be de- 
ceiving myself and act the part of a hypocrite. 
Two days from this time I called to see Doctor 
M'Whorter, to whom I related my experience, 
and who seemed satisfied with the account I 
gave of myself. On Friday, the eleventh of Feb- 
ruary, in company with five or six others, I met 
the Session of the Newark Presbyterian Church, 
who heard our different relations, and we were 
dismissed. The Sunday following one of the 
elders called to inform me that, if it were my 



COVENANT VOWS ASSUMED. 81 

wish, I should be propounded the same day, it 
appearing proper to them that the others should 
wait till next opportunity. This Sabbath, if I 
be not deceived, I experienced some tokens of 
the Divine favor which strengthened me great- 
ly in the cause I had embraced. But oh ! the 
warfare within! How must we fight if we 
would come off conquerors ! 

u Sunday, February 28th, I was taken into 
the Church according to the customary regula- 
tions of the same, and methought the Lord ap- 
peared very gracious in strengthening and sup- 
porting me in so solemn a transaction ; and I 
trust I felt rejoiced that I had been granted this 
opportunity of acknowledging my Lord and my 
Redeemer in this public manner. The Sabbath 
following, the sacrament was administered, and 
though I did not experience the Divine presence 
as some have done on these occasions, yet it 
was a profitable season. The wonderful con- 
descension of Jehovah seemed very great in thus 
dealing with his sinful creatures. 

" And now it was reasonable to expect that 
I should be more engaged to serve my Lord and 
Master than heretofore ; but, alas ! my foolish 
heart soon began to wander from my God, and 
a sort of lethargy or spiritual deadness seemed 
to accompanv all my acts of devotion, insomuch 
F 



82 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

that I could not avoid drawing unfavorable con- 
clusions respecting myself. My heart seemed 
hard and my mind deeply blinded ; but I was 
not suffered to remain in this state long with- 
out a chastising. Sabbath, March 14th, the 
Rev. Mr. Kollock preached in Newark from 
these words of our Savior to Peter, ' Lovest 
thou me ? ? While the preacher was setting 
forth the character of those who loved Christ 
in sincerity, my mind was deeply affected, and 
I feared very much I never had experienced 
what it was to love God and Christ with pure 
and holy motives; and, if so, I was yet in my 
sins, and without hope. 

" These thoughts overpowered me to that de- 
gree that my nerves became exceedingly agita- 
ted and weak, so that it was with great diffi- 
culty I supported myself from falling. 

" The only comfort that I could derive from 
past experiences was founded on my affection 
for the people of God. Finding myself quite 
feeble, and my mind deeply exercised, I did not 
go to church in the after part of the day, but 
implored the Divine presence and aid that I 
might not be left to perish in my sins, and that 
I might be enabled to love Christ Jesus with 
right views and motives, and be more engaged 
in following his commands. Doubts and fears, 



INSTRUCTIVE AND HOPEFUL RECORDS. 83 

with some faint rays of hope, prevailed by turns, 
and sometimes the adversary seemed to almost 
get the advantage. But, blessed be the Father 
of mercies ! about the first of June he was 
pleased to manifest himself to me (if I be not 
deceived) as lovely in all his character and gov- 
ernment, and I rejoiced to have found him once 
more whom my soul loveth. 

" Saturday evening, June 18th, being at a 
conference meeting, methinks I was greatly af- 
fected with the situation of a guilty world, and 
my heart's desire seemed to be that God would 
more abundantly pour out his Spirit, that care- 
less sinners might be awakened, and see their 
need of a Savior, and that religion might in- 
crease and prevail over vice and infidelity. The 
day following, the sacrament of the Lord's Sup- 
per was administered, and there were thirty and 
one new members admitted to the communion. 
The scene was delightful to the friends of relig- 
ion, and, if not deceived, my soul rejoiced in 
the event. Methought how lovely is this place. 
' I had rather be a door-keeper in the house of 
my God, than to dwell in the tents of wicked- 
ness.' 

" My prayer is, that I may have a humbling 
sense of my own unworthiness, and that I may 
live to the praise of my God and Redeemer all 



84 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

the days of my appointed time. Through the 
grace of God I am resolved to strive to this end. 
But, alas ! what reason have I to lament my 
inconsistency. Not more than one fortnight 
had passed around when I began to fall into a 
lukewarmness, and a sort of spiritual sloth 
seemed to hang about every thing I engaged in. 
This dullness was followed by a disrelish for 
religious duties, and a sort of dread at meeting 
any of the principal members of the Church. 
On this account, or lest I should be called upon 
to pray or converse, I frequently neglected at- 
tending the evening societies ; and with trem- 
bling I entered the courts of the Lord, for fear 
something might be spoken that would put me 
into confusion. And so far was I from exercis- 
ing a spirit of meekness and forbearance, that, 
manifesting an unchristian temper one day, 1 
was reproached with these words, ' Ah ! where 
is all your boasted religion now V Instead of 
being humbled under a sense of the dishonor I 
had brought upon the cause of Christ, I was 
highly offended at the person who made the 
expression. Forgive, O my God ! what I thus 
confess with shame and confusion of face." 



Hid by the clouds from sight, no sun did now appear, 
Nor could I in the nie:ht behold the moon or star: 



LEAVING THE FIRST LOVE. 85 

Twas then for days and weeks, or more, 
I could not see the sky or shore. 

The old elementary leaven of a certain natu- 
ral instability of character now breaking out in 
Captain Congar, along with this departure from 
his first love, and merchandising having become 
tiresome as well as unprofitable, he sold the 
goods that remained on hand, and with the 
proceeds thereof embarked on a sort of trading 
expedition to Charleston, New Providence, and 
the Bahamas. In this he had but indifferent 
success, and returned safely, though ill at ease 
in his mind, to New York. And here he enters 
in his journal, " Now did it become me to have 
embraced the first opportunity of meeting with 
my friends in Newark, and offering up public 
thanksgiving to my Almighty preserver, who 
had blessed me with a great share of health, 
and restored me to my native country once 
more. Had my heart been right, I should have 
rejoiced that God was pleased to favor me with 
such an opportunity to declare his goodness, and 
his wonderful works to the children of men. 
But, alas ! my conscience testified against me 
that I had departed from God ; and on this ac- 
count I felt such a backwardness of appearing 
among my Christian friends, that I took care 
not to be there on the Sabbath day, but went 



86 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

to church in New York, and experienced very- 
little satisfaction or comfort therein. 

" Thus about a month elapsed, when a cir- 
cumstance happened that brought strong con- 
viction to my mind that God was now about to 
chastise me for backsliding. As I was sitting 
at the breakfast table on the ninth of May, one 
of the company related a story which in some 
measure touched hard upon myself. I was im- 
mediately seized with a kind of tremor, and had 
to hurry from the table in confusion, endeavor- 
ing at the same time to conceal it as much as 
possible. From this time, let me go where I 
would, or in what company, I felt guilty, and 
my sins stared me in the face, so that I found 
no rest. Sometimes I resolved to flee away 
where nobody knew me, and at other times I 
despaired of finding peace on earth, and was 
tempted to drown myself. Thus was I harassed, 
continually beset with temptations and fears, 
till, on Saturday, May 21st, I went over to 
Newark, hoping I might find some relief to my 
mind ; but ah ! my sins followed me close. 
God had not done chastising me yet for depart- 
ing from him. 

" My wife and friends could not conceive 
what ailed me, neither was I able fully to con- 
vince them. I now began to give up all my 



SORE CONFLICTS AND TEMPTATIONS. 87 

hopes, and was bordering on despair. At this 
time I was strongly tempted to starve myself, 
from an apprehension that all these troubles 
were sent upon me for an over-fondness of in- 
dulging my appetite, and, dreading every thing 
here, I sometimes wished to die. 

" Sunday being come, I knew it was my 
duty to go to church, but I was filled with 
such confusion and dread of appearing among 
my friends, or any body who knew me, that I 
had not resolution. Oh, the horrors of a guilty 
conscience ! Though a return to God, by a 
deep and hearty repentance, was the only ra- 
tional way I could hope for any comfort, yet I 
was so far from this, that I seemed determined 
on obstinacy and rebellion. I could not endure 
to see any of my acquaintance even at home, 
and I shunned the society of every body. My 
distress, indeed, compelled me to call on Rev. 
Mr. G., one of our ministers, and upon some of 
the elders, to whom I made known my difficul- 
ties. They all seemed to feel for me, and ex- 
horted me to trust in God, through Christ; 
and told me it was no uncommon thing for the 
people of God to be exercised in this way more 
or less. 

" I now began to consider myself as a vile 
hypocrite, and looked upon it as only adding 



88 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

sin to my guilt to pray in my family, or perform 
those external duties incumbent on professors 
of religion, and, for one time, I neglected pray- 
er with this view. It is not easy to describe 
my feelings at this time. Astonishment took 
hold of me, and I was ready to cry out with 
the Psalmist, ' My confusion is continually be- 
fore me, and the shame of my face hath cov- 
ered me.' It often appeared as though my dis- 
tress was, in a measure, such as th« damned 
will experience, so far as it consists in a sense 
of their sins being known to the world ; for it 
seemed as though every body knew all my 
crimes, and judged me. 

" Thus I spent another week in this melan- 
choly, dejected manner, and, Saturday evening 
being come, I summoned up resolution enough 
to attend society ; but, looking upon myself as 
an outcast, and having forfeited all the bless- 
ings of social worship, I returned as I went, 
without consolation . Sabbath following I found 
myself still in the same difficulty as before, and 
could not form resolution to go to church, though 
being earnestly entreated by my wife for that 
purpose. In the evening, however, I attended 
a society, but without any relief to my troubled 
mind. Some of my friends told me that these 
things did not shake their hope for me as being 



MENTAL ANGUISH LAID BARE. 89 

a Christian. But, for my part, I could see ev- 
ery thing else in myself but the character of 
such a one. 

" Though I had little heart to pray, or desire 
others to pray for me, yet now I could not think 
of giving it wholly up. Ingratitude seemed a 
monstrous sin in me. Tuesday, thirty-first of 
May, and the day following, I felt myself some- 
what composed, and desired this trial might be 
sanctified to me : could read the Scriptures with 
some degree of pleasure, and endeavored to 
form resolutions, through Divine assistance, to 
seek the will of God, though he should still see 
fit to hide his face from me : striving to place 
my dependence on the merits of Christ alone 
for hope of acceptance, and renouncing my own 
works, which seemed, indeed, but as poor filthy 
rags. Friday, June 3d, being preparatory lec- 
ture, I was enabled to attend public worship, 
but, alas ! the coldness and hardness of my heart, 
and how insensible to the Divine character and 
perfections. Such a stupor had seized my soul, 
methinks I received little benefit from this op- 
portunity. I did, indeed, form resolutions to 
prepare for the duties of the following Sabbath, 
and, the day being come, with fear and trem- 
bling I entered the courts of the Lord. At first 
I was greatly confused, and had nearly sunk 



90 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

down ; but, endeavoring to look for support 
from above, I seemed to be strengthened, and 
remained tolerably composed the rest of service 
time, and joined once more with the people of 
God in commemorating the dying love of a 
Savior, though not without doubts and fears. 
And, in proportion as they have the ascendency, 
so the delight in the ordinance must be propor- 
tionably less. 

" And now, my soul, what hast thou done? 
Thou hast once more engaged to be the Lord's ; 
not living to thyself, but unto him that died to 
save such an unworthy sinner. What grati- 
tude dost thou not owe to thy Creator and Re- 
deemer ! Thou didst seek death and destruc- 
tion, and yet he has brought thee to his ban- 
queting-house ; see to it, then, that thou dost 
perform unto the Lord thine oaths. Oh Lord, 
help me to perform. But, alas ! my goodness 
was like the morning cloud or early dew, that 
vanisheth away ; my resolution failed me, and 
melancholy returned, so that the next Sabbath 
found me in as great dejection and distress as 
ever before. And now every ray of hope seemed 
to be departing from me, and I began to con- 
clude that I need not look for any peace or com- 
fort here, and that the only remedy would be 
to wander away from all society, and take up 



A FUGITIVE FROM HOME AND HAPPINESS. 91 

ray abode in some solitary clime among the 
savages, or others as ignorant as they. 

" These reflections pierced me to the heart and 
brought many a sorrowful tear from my eye. 
What, said I, must I part with wife and friends, 
and never more behold them on this side the 
grave ! how can I bear the thought ? Some- 
times, indeed, this little hope seemed left, that 
perhaps traveling would be the means of re- 
lieving my mind, so that I might once more 
take a little comfort on earth. 

" I now gave my wife to understand that I in- 
tended going up the North River, first to a broth- 
er's I had living near Albany. To this at length 
she very reluctantly consented, and packed up 
some things for me ; and on the fourteenth 
of June I left Newark with heavy heart ; for 
though I gave her only to understand that my 
object in leaving home was merely to relieve 
my mind, which was true in some measure, yet 
nevertheless, harboring an idea that I should 
never more enjoy my friends at home, or take 
comfort again in my native place, I had secret- 
ly determined never more to return. 

" With this view, when I got to New York 
I sold all my nautical books and instruments, 
giving up every thought of going to sea more ; 
and not knowing whither I should go or how I 



92 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGA'R. 

should get a maintenance, I thought it advisa- 
ble to take all the money I could conveniently 
get hold of, in case of the worst. I arrived at 
Albany in three days, and went at once to my 
brother's, who, with his family, received me glad- 
ly. But, as I had anticipated before, my mind 
was far from being calm and quiet. Though 
relieved, in a measure, from that embarrass- 
ment which I found at home, yet I became 
very melancholy and dejected, apprehending 
the judgments of God would pursue me wher- 
ever I went. 

" I did not acquaint my brother with my 
real motive in leaving Newark, but rather hint- 
ed that it was on account of my temporal diffi- 
culties, and from a determination to quit the sea, 
and that, if I should undertake some laborious 
occupation for a maintenance, being so near the 
sea as Newark, I should be the more likely to 
give it up again, and betake myself to my for- 
mer profession, for which I had conceived a 
great distaste. 

" Before I left home, the thought had struck 
my mind, that as my brother understood the 
cut-nail business, probably we might undertake 
it with some advantage to us both. And now 
it appeared the only thing I could engage in 
that would suit the state of my health, both of 



EXPEDIENTS TO GAIN RELIEF. 93 

body and mind, and be the means of procuring 
a support. This thought I soon made known 
to my brother, who, although he said it would 
be a great mortification to see me engaged in 
so low a calling, yet, if it was my sincere wish, 
he had no objections to join me in the business, 
not doubting but that we might make it an- 
swer a tolerable purpose. 

" I now called forth all the powers of body 
and mind, went to work early and late, and 
made rapid progress in the knowledge of this 
new art, so that in two or three weeks I could 
make as handsome a nail as others who had fol- 
lowed it a much longer time. 

" Although I attended public worship con- 
stantly at Troy, and evening conferences where 
my brother lived, yet I was often, on these oc- 
casions, much confused and distressed, so that it 
frequently appeared to me I must fly again, 
and whither I knew not. These reflections 
wrung me to the very heart, and I endeavored 
to look up to God that he would pass by my 
many transgressions, and bring about means 
that I might be restored to my family and 
friends again, but fearing this was never to be 
my lot more." 

I thought the brute creation were better off' than me ; 
I spent my days in anguish, no pleasure could I see : 



94 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

Through deep distress and sorrow my Savior led me on, 
Then show'd his love unto me when all my hope was gone. 

While suffering these sore temptations, and 
in this strangely unnatural state both of body 
and mind, Captain Congar endeavored to per- 
suade his wife to dispose of their property at 
Newark, and come and take up her abode with 
him. She at once yielded to his desire that she 
would visit him, but her entreaties, and a bet- 
ter judgment, perhaps, in this matter, persuaded 
him to abandon a line of life for which he was 
all unfit, and to consent to return to Newark. 
But apprehensive, he says, that I should labor 
under the same difficulties when I got among 
my friends that I had experienced before, I ob- 
tained a promise from my wife that, should this 
be the case, she would accompany me some- 
where to a more southerly climate. But, alas 
for him, 

In vain the unhappy rover flies, 
In hopes of finding happier skies ; 
In vain he changes clime and air, 
For still unhappy self is there. 

" The unhappy state of my mind led me to 
grasp at any thing that would promise relief. 
In the fore part of August I made my appear- 
ance in Newark, but very little better composed 
than when I left it last, and, if possible, more 



STILL IN DARKNESS AND THE DEEP. 95 



regardless of the ties of friendship and every so- 
cial relation. I seemed now to myself to have 
lost all good-will and affection for every one 
here, even those to whom I had been strongly 
attached. I took no delight in religion nor so- 
ciety, and thus passed my time like some sol- 
itary being who is displeased with himself and 
all around him ; who, though surrounded with 
the good things of life, enjoys nothing, and is 
only happy when sleep drowns the anxiety of a 
disturbed mind. 

" In this condition the soul finds little peace; 
sometimes under the most dreadful apprehen- 
sions about futurity, and then only concerned 
for the present; often wishing for death, yet 
afraid to die. At one time I acknowledged the 
justness of my punishment, and at other times 
was tempted to fret and complain because I 
was thus dealt with, continually resolving and 
unresolving, a compound medley of unruly pas- 
sions. For the first three or four days after my 
return I was pretty generally fixed on setting 
off again, dreading the Sabbath should come, 
being apprehensive I should not be composed 
enough to go to church; and so it happened, 
for I could not form resolution to make the at- 
tempt. I still continued sad and solitary, and 
though T felt that help must come from God 



96 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

alone, yet had I very little heart to pray. The 
denunciation in the prophet Isaiah seemed very 
applicable to my case : ' And the pride of Is- 
rael testifieth to his face ; and they do not re- 
turn to the Lord their God, nor seek him for 
all this. Ephraim also is like a silly dove with- 
out heart ; they call to Egypt, they go to As- 
syria. When they shall go, I will spread my 
net upon them ; I will bring them down as the 
fowls of heaven ; I will chastise them, as their 
congregation hath heard. Wo unto them, for 
they have fled from me ; destruction unto them, 
because they have transgressed against me ; 
though I have redeemed them, yet they have 
spoken lies against me. And they have not 
cried unto me with their heart when they howl- 
ed upon themselves. Though I have bound and 
strengthened their arms, yet do they imagine 
mischief against me. They return, but not to 
the Most High ; they are like a deceitful bow.' 
" Toward the latter part of the week the Lord 
was pleased to remove his stroke from me in 
some measure ; I began to feel somewhat cheer- 
ful, and could go among my friends without ex- 
periencing such confusion. Nevertheless, it re- 
mained a matter of doubt with me whether I 
should feel composed enough to attend public 
worship the ensuing Sabbath. 



TRANQUILLITY BEGINS TO BE RESTORED. 97 

" On Saturday evening, the thirteenth of 
August, my brother's wife had been to pay us 
a visit, and, with true Christian charity, re- 
proved me pretty sharply for the neglect of so 
important a duty. I did not feel in the least 
offended at her for this, but soon began to make 
up my mind to go to church next day, endeav- 
oring to look to the Lord for assistance. Bless- 
ed be his name, I was enabled to wait upon 
him in his house, and my mind was generally 
composed through the day ; I esteemed this an 
unmerited favor, and desired to be truly thank- 
ful. Finding a degree of tranquillity restored 
to my mind, my thoughts of leaving home again, 
on this occasion, have vanished, and, through 
the whole week, have been more composed than 
has been the case for some time. But I still 
experience a great dullness in religious duties, 
and little pleasure in the company of Chris- 
tians. 

" Saturday evening, the twentieth of August, 
I attended a conference meeting, rejoicing once 
more that I had an opportunity of joining with 
the people of God in religious exercises, and 
grateful for this instance of Divine compassion 
and forbearance, resolving now to return to him 
from whom I had deeply revolted. Sabbath 
following I went to the house of God with con- 
G 



98 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

siderable satisfaction, and pretty well composed, 
but without those consolations of the Holy Spir- 
it which are so reviving to a soul in distress. 
Still I endeavor to wait upon God and hope in 
his word, confessing my unworthiness to receive 
any mercy. The next Friday a lecture was 
delivered, preparatory to the sacrament, from 
these words : ' Looking diligently, lest any man 
fail of the grace of God.' 

" The Sabbath following I joined once more 
with the people of God in commemorating the 
dying love of a Savior. One great end brought 
to view by this ordinance seemed to be the ne- 
cessity of living on Christ by faith, as the body 
is nourished by bread and wine. From this 
time my mind became more composed, and I 
no longer thought of leaving Newark again, as 
on a late occasion, but endeavored to commend 
myself to the Lord, and wait his will with re- 
spect to temporal as well as spiritual concerns." 

And now the cloud is lifted, and light is 
once more breaking upon the tried and tempted 
Christian mariner, faith and submission hav- 
ing been inwrought into his soul by the disci- 
pline of a gracious Providence. This ever is 
the way of God with the soul of man. He 
bends the human will into sweet acquiescence 
with His own will by trials and mortifications, 



GOD S WAY AND GOD's END. 99 

and, that secured, then there can be permanent 
joy and peace. 

The path of sorrow, and that path alone, 
Leads to the land where sorrow is unknown. 

Sorrowing and troubled reader, whosoe'er thou 
art, cast down, perhaps, and almost despairing, 
only sweetly yield thy will to God's, and then 
thou shalt cheer up and take courage. 



In the day of visitation, 

When the clouds have o'er thee passed, 
And thou thinkest that salvation 

May not bless thee at the last ; 
In the hour of doubts and fearing, 

When the Savior seems afar, 
And thy spirit, without cheering, 

Is the night without a star — 
Know that it is all to try thee, 

And that Jesus loves thee still ; 
Nor will ever He deny thee, 

If thou walkest in His will. 

He hath set the great example, 

Follow on, as he hath trod ; 
Doubts and sin beneath thee trample, 

Live, and act, and hope in God. 
Then, though light or dark attend thee, 

In the end 'twill be the same ; 
If the Savior doth befriend thee, 

Thou shalt ne'er be put to shame. 



100 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 



Chapter V. 

NAVIGATING FOR ETERNITY. THE LIGHTS AND 
SHADOWS OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

Thou Star of the Christian ! thou Guide of the lost! 

Oh, withhold not the beams that can lead and can gladden 
Frail man on the ocean of life when he's toss'd ; 

When the billows run high, and the wild tempests madden. 
Blest Savior ! once more be the light of my soul ; 

And, amid all the dangers and griefs that oppress me, 
This heart shall submit to thy faultless control, 

The song of these lips shall unceasingly bless thee. 

T. C. UPHAM. 

Upon the mountain wave we mount again 
with our mariner, whom a call, deemed by him 
providential, induces to make his home once 
more on the deep. Having command of the 
ship Enterprise, and taking with him his wife, 
he sailed for Cork, Ireland, on the twenty-eighth 
of August, 1803. The voyage seems to have 
been propitious, and its issue all that could be 
desired, his own health and spirits being better 
for engaging in an employment to which he had 
been trained, and his wife's health also improv- 
ing. With a becoming piety, he took occasion 
of the first Sabbath after his return to offer up 
public thanksgiving to his gracious Preserver ; 



INCREASING COMFORT IN RELIGION. 101 

and, though he was not yet entirely free from 
those embarrassments of mind that had before 
so greatly afflicted him, he endeavored to look 
to the Most High for support and submission. 

Early in 1804 he sailed again to "Wilming 
ton, North Carolina, and thence to Hull, En 
gland, where he notes with gratitude that h* 
had frequent opportunities of public worship 
with " a sacred pleasure therein." An offering 
of thankfulness was duly paid in the Lord's 
house on his return, and w T e find him saying 
that " at this time the Lord was pleased tc 
grant me those consolations of his blessed Spirit 
which are so reviving to an afflicted soul. Ev- 
ery time I met in public worship while at homo, 
I enjoyed more or less of the comforts of relig- 
ion, and could join with my brethren in society 
with considerable freedom and delight." 

On a subsequent voyage, being again at Wil- 
mington, on his way to Bristol, and without 
the company of his wife, he writes, " I expe- 
rience the want of society much, and some- 
times, alas ! I feel very low-spirited ; but God 
is still gracious. I enjoy a great share of health, 
and am not without the consolations of his 
Spirit, I would hope. True, it is desirable to 
have always the assurance of blessedness ; but 
are we to look for this at all times ? It is a 



102 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

mercy that such a sinner as I am is at this 
moment out of the regions of woe. May my 
spared life be spent for the glory of God. 

"Near the coast of Europe, Sunday, Janu- 
ary 27th, 1805. This day my soul is much 
cast down. I view myself as a great sinner. 
Oh, how vile is the human heart ! it is deceit- 
ful above all things. How exceeding sinful 
does sin appear, and mine in a particular man- 
ner aggravated; but, though my sins appear 
like huge mountains over my head, ready to 
burst forth upon me, yet I would look to God 
in Christ for pardon and sanctification." 

The grounding of his ship in trying to go 
over the Swash at the mouth of the Avon, made 
it necessary to put her into dock for repairs, and 
this delayed his return, but he sought and found 
comfort in the society and worship of God's 
people while in port. Finding, after getting 
out to sea, that one of his passengers was a min- 
ister, he solicited his services as preacher all 
the Sabbaths of the passage. 

The following summer he made a very agree- 
able voyage to Madeira with his wife for a car- 
go of wine, in the course of which he had many 
occasions to note the Providence and mercy 
of God, which he duly remembered in public 
thanksgiving on his return. It was now, how- 



RELIGIOUS DISABILITIES OF A LIFE AT SEA. 103 

ever, that the natural instability of character 
we have before remarked upon, joined, perhaps, 
with a diminution of bodily vigor as he ad- 
vanced in life, set him upon thinking again to 
quit the sea ; and these are his reasonings 
upon it : 

" It is a life fraught with difficulty and care, 
anxiety and perplexity. We frequently ex- 
perience much trouble with the crew, as was 
the case the last two voyages. We are greatly 
exposed to temptation ; we are deprived of the 
principal sources of happiness in this life, so- 
ciety, and the opportunity of meeting with the 
people of God on Sabbath days; and those who 
have families, with whom they live in habits 
of mutual affection, striving which can be most 
kind and tender, and whose greatest pleasure is 
to make each other happy, must necessarily 
feel great anxiety at parting with them, and 
being absent so long a time without an oppor- 
tunity of hearing from one another. At one 
time duty bid me go; at another time the same 
reason influenced me to stay ; so that we were 
nearly ready for sea before my mind became 
settled which way to act. I made it my re- 
quest, in all my supplications to the throne of 
grace, that I might be directed in this import- 
ant matter : and I desire to be thankful that 



104 CAPTATN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

God heard me, for my mind became calm and 
settled, and it appeared clearly my duty to en- 
gage again in this business ; and seeing no oth- 
er way opened whereby I might be useful in 
life, I became reconciled, and submitted to the 
pain of leaving my bosom friends, and, I may 
add, almost every thing that renders life pleas- 
ant, to seek my bread upon the great waters. 

" And now I pray God that I may go in his 
name and in his strength to the work that is 
before me, that he would enable me to fulfill 
every duty incumbent on me in the sphere 
wherein I am placed ; that he would grant me 
his blessing and presence, and restore me to my 
family and friends in his own good time, richly 
laden with experience of his goodness and lov- 
ing-kindness. 

"In setting out on this voyage, several dis- 
couraging circumstances took place, which were 
by no means calculated to compose the mind at 
a time like this. Monday, January 13th, 1806, 
we hauled the ship off into the river, that we 
might be in the more readiness to proceed with 
the first wind. The day following, a snow and 
hail storm came on from the northeast; where- 
fore we thought it advisable to haul the ship 
into the wharf again. It being extremely cold, 
with difficulty we got her secured before night, 



DISCOURAGEMENTS HOW RELIEVED. 105 

leaving two anchors off in the river. Wednes- 
day, 15th, the wind was favorable, but, blowing 
a gale, this day we spent in getting our anchors 
on board again. 

" Thursday the weather continued intoler- 
ably cold, insomuch that we found it difficult 
to loose the sails, that we might get them soft- 
ened a little. The ice now began to make fast. 
Friday, the 17th, the weather moderated, and 
the wind continuing favorable, we set sail, and 
had a very good time down to the Hook, and 
getting to sea. In no instance that I recol- 
lect has my mind been more tranquil and com- 
posed at the time of leaving my native shores ; 
but this desirable peace did not abide with me 
long ere I had to feel the want of that society I 
had left. Now I became dejected and discon- 
solate, and sometimes it seemed as though I 
should not be able to bear up under the load of 
melancholy. 

" The fifth day after we sailed came on a 
tremendous gale of wind from the southeast, at 
which, time our ship began to leak very badly, 
and the steward, being taken very ill of a pleu- 
risy at the same time, I had to officiate myself 
in that capacity. Under all these discourage- 
ments, I endeavored to rest my hopes on the 
Rock of Ages ; from God I sought relief, and 



106 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

with gratitude I would acknowledge I have 
found relief. January 28th, 29th, and 30th. 
The winds are adverse, yet my mind is quite 
composed, and I feel willing the Lord should do 
what seemeth him good, and, blessed be his 
name, if I am not deceived, I do enjoy religion 
even here. 

" Saturday, the 8th day of February, we ex- 
perienced a gale of wind from the westward, in 
the course of which we were struck by three 
very violent seas, which damaged our boat over 
the stern considerably, and even threatened the 
safety of us all. I arose, and called upon Him 
who holdeth the winds in his fists and the wa- 
ters in the hollow of his hand, and the Lord 
was pleased to hear the request of a poor sin- 
ful creature. The violence of the winds and 
seas abated, and we were delivered from our 
fear. 

" From this time we had a considerable spell 
of favorable winds, so that we made good prog- 
ress on our way. One important end may be 
answered by this solitary life which I have upon 
the seas, which could not be attained so well in 
the midst of society : I now call to mind the 
sins of my whole life, and reflect upon them 
with repentance. I have an opportunity to 
search out the evil nature and consequences of 



REFLECTIONS AND CONCLUSIONS AT SEA. 107 

sin ; this leads me to self-abhorrence on account 
thereof, and to admire the wonderful forbear- 
ance of God in sparing so great a rebel. In 
general, my mind is tolerably well reconciled 
to my situation, except on Sabbath days. It is 
then that my soul looks to the land of inhabit- 
ants meeting together for social worship. But 
why should I complain ? Have I improved the 
advantages of society, and the many opportuni- 
ties I have been favored with, of hearing the 
Gospel preached ? Alas ! no. I feel unworthy 
of any of the comforts of life, and yet I daily ex- 
perience many. I enjoy a great share of health, 
and have the continuation of my rational facul- 
ties, and still am preserved on the mighty deep. 
Methinks I never have had such affecting views 
of the evil of sin as I have had at sea, particu- 
larly in the course of the last voyage to Bristol, 
and also for a few days past. It seems won- 
derful there should be so much happiness in a 
world so full of it. This appears to be the pro- 
curing cause of all the evil we suffer in this life, 
or dread in that which is to come. I trust I 
feel grateful to the blessed Spirit for opening my 
eyes to see sin to be so exceeding sinful, and 
affording me any hope of salvation from it this 
day, eighteenth of February." 

There are repeated instances in this part of 



108 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

Captain Congar's autobiography of his resorting 
to the Bible when under apprehension of losing 
his ship by the dangers of the seas, and finding 
its promises to afford him sweet relief; so that 
he could say from his own personal habit as a 
Christian mariner, 

The Bible is my chart ; by it the seas I know ; 

I can not with it part, it rocks and sands doth show : 

It is a chart and compass too, 

Whose needle points forever true. 

When through a strait I go, or near some coast am drove, 
The plummet forth I throw, and thus my safety prove ; 

My conscience is the line which I 

Fathom the depth of water by. 

My vessel would be lost in spite of all my care, 
But that the Holy Ghost himself vouchsafes to steer ; 

And I through all my voyages will 

Depend upon my Steersman's skill. 

Once, when winds used to become contrary, 
he bore it impatiently, and would grumble ; but 
now he could cheerfully submit, and behold the 
faithfulness of God in all his dealings, and we 
hear him say, " In some good measure I find 
myself believing that God is infinitely wise and 
good in all that he does, and therefore worthy to 
be submitted to and confided in under all the 
vicissitudes of life. And besides, how many 
instances could I call to mind wherein I have 
been delivered from death in a manner miracu- 



HOLY COMPLACENCY IN GOD. 109 



lous ; and I am now experiencing great health 
and innumerable mercies. Wherefore, oh my 
soul, be no more stiff-necked and rebellious, but 
rather seek to possess the temper of the proph- 
et, who says, ' Though the fig-tree shall not 
blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vine ; the 
labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall 
yield no meat ; the flocks shall be cut off from 
the fold, and there shall be no herd in the 
stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, and joy in 
the God of my salvation.' April 29th, the 
wind still remains unfavorable, but, if I am not 
deceived, I feel this day such a complacency in 
the Divine character, that I can rejoice in some 
good degree with the prophet above." 

Sunday, May 17th, 1806, on the passage 
back to Wilmington, he writes, " My mind for 
some days past has been more deeply affect- 
ed with my spiritual condition than usual. I 
ponder on my sins, I weigh my actions, I judge 
myself, and frequently doubt the sincerity of 
my profession. Although my sins have been 
of a crimson dye before I joined the Church, 
yet my greatest doubts arise from a view of the 
inconsistency of my conduct and temper since 
that event took place. These reflections pierce 
my soul with bitter mourning and lamentations. 
Once methinks I walked in the light of God's 



110 GAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

countenance, could call the Savior mine, but 
now his face is hid, and I am troubled ; I am 
bowed down ; my sins have gone over mine head 
as a heavy burden ; I am greatly oppressed. 
Sin, that dreadful enemy of the soul, hath caused 
all this." 

Come, Holy Ghost, and blow 
A prosperous gale of grace ; 
Waft me from all below, 

To heaven, my destined place ! 
Then in full sail my port I'll find, 
And leave the world and sin behind. 

Rather more than a year from this date, after 
much experience of danger and deliverance in 
the course of two voyages to Liverpool, we find 
this entry on the twenty-sixth of June, 1807 : 
" This day closes the thirty-ninth year of my 
age. Alas ! I have to mourn much misspent 
time, many shortcomings, and little progress 
in the Divine life ; and, notwithstanding so 
many imperfections, and so prone to go astray 
as I yet remain, the Lord has been gracious to 
me in a variety of instances through the year 
past. May my soul be filled by humble grati- 
tude, and may I be enabled, by Divine assist- 
ance, to live henceforth through the rest of my 
days more becoming one who has professed to 
be a follower of the blessed Redeemer." 



ADVANTAGES OF KEEPING A JOURNAL. Ill 

Saved by grace, I live to tell 

What the love of Christ has done 
He redeem'd my soul from hell, 

Of a rebel made a son : 
Oh, I tremble still to think 

How secure I lived in sin ; 
Sporting on destruction's brink, 

Yet preserved from falling in. 
In a kind, propitious hour, 

To my heart the Savior spoke ; 
Touch'd me by his Spirit's power, 

And my dangerous slumber broke ; 
Then I saw and own'd my guilt ; 

Soon my gracious Lord replied, 
" Fear not, I my blood have spilt, 

'Twas for such as thee I died." 

" Methinks it would be well for every person, 
if possible, to keep a sort of journal or memo- 
randum of the most material occurrences in life. 
Though many, perhaps, would have nothing to 
notice that others would feel interested in, yet 
surely a history of one's own life ought to be of 
the most consequence to us above all others. 
We take great pains to obtain a knowledge of 
the lives and characters of others, and this may 
be well ; but surely we ought to know some- 
thing about ourselves, which can not well be 
done if we neglect to notice events as they pass. 
Thus, for instance, to-day I feel considerably 
composed and cheerful, and am enabled to re- 
joice in that good Hand which hath guided me 



112 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

through so many difficult scenes ; and I do now 
purpose to live while I be spared more in the 
exercise of a gracious temper and disposition, 
under the various dispensations I may be called 
to pass through, and to be more engaged in the 
great concerns of eternity ; but, behold, to-mor- 
row's sun finds my sins continually swell before 
my eyes like huge mountains, and though I 
deeply lament for my transgressions, still I find 
my soul prone to wander from God. This gives 
me disquietness, oh wretched man that I am ! 
" July 10th. I am still oppressed by the 
weight of my sins ; more and more do I seem 
convinced of the iniquity and deceitfulness of 
my heart. But, under these melancholy appre- 
hensions, the Scriptures afford a ray of hope. 
Therein do we discover that God is merciful 
and gracious. He says to the humble and con- 
trite, ' Though your sins be as scarlet, they 
shall be white as snow ; though they be red like 
crimson, they shall be as wool.' Nevertheless, 
I am still in difficulty lest my repentance be 
only legal, and arise merely from a dread of the 
misery my sins have brought upon me. And, 
besides, the Scriptures declare that only he that 
believes in Christ shall be saved, and here also 
I want evidence. But the Scriptures inform 
us that Christ Jesus came into the world to save 



THE CHRISTIANS GROUNDS FOR REJOICING. 113 

the chief of sinners, and such am I, and such 
as I need salvation most. Therefore there is 
room for hope that his grace may also be be- 
stowed on me." 

He lives to silence all my fears, 

He lives to stop and wipe rey tears ; 

He lives to calm my troubled heart, 

He lives all blessings to impart. 

He lives and grants me daily breath, 

He lives, and I shall conquer death ; 

He lives my mansion to prepare, 

He lives to bring me safely there. 

He lives my kind, my heavenly friend, 

He lives and loves me to the end; 

He lives, and while he lives, I'll sing, 

He lives my Prophet, Priest, and King. 

A month or two after this outpouring of a 
gracious soul, we find him again sitting apart 
like a dove, and mourning over his corruptions. 
" Every day methinks I behold more and more 
vileness in my heart, which, indeed, as the Scrip- 
tures express it, has been the cage of every 
unclean bird. Could I but trace out one sin- 
gle good action that had proceeded from a pure 
principle of love to God, I had some ground of 
hope ; not that I should merit forgiveness for 
such good action, but only as an evidence there 
might be a small spark of grace in the heart, 
notwithstanding its dreadful corruption." 

On his return from sea in the fall of 1807, 
H 



114 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

and offering up public thanksgiving, as his man- 
ner was, to Him who holdeth the winds in his 
fists and the waters in the hollow of his hands, 
he found a very extraordinary revival of religion 
had begun in Newark and vicinity, of which he 
thus takes notice : " At this time the inhabit- 
ants of my native town were much engaged in 
religion, and it appeared the Lord was about to 
do wondrous things among us. I had resolved 
to stay at home this winter, partly on account 
of the threatening difficulties from the belliger- 
ents, and partly because the voyage was intend- 
ed to be a very long one, as before, and I found 
my constitution rather unable to bear so long 
the hardships of the sea. 

"Now I had opportunity of meeting with the 
people of God almost every day or evening, and 
at times methinks I enjoy this favor. The first 
Sabbath in March, 1808, there were added to 
the Church ninety-seven persons, and the prob- 
ability is there will be as many on the next sac- 
ramental occasion. 

" The time for administering the sacrament 
beginning to draw near, and my mind having 
for a considerable time been very uneasy re- 
specting my spiritual condition, I now have 
given myself to serious inquiry into this matter, 
and have resolved by Divine assistance to seek 



THE SHADOWS FLEEING AWAY. 115 

God by fasting and prayer, that I may know 
whether I be in the faith or not; being per- 
suaded that I never can be useful as a member 
of the Church while I remain so beset with 
doubts and fears. 

11 Sabbath, June 5th, the sacrament was ad- 
ministered. "With thanksgiving I desire to men- 
tion the exceeding goodness of God to me this 
day. I trust I had some views of a Savior pre- 
cious to my soul, and my doubts and fears are 
banished in a great degree. Oh ! how wonder- 
ful is the faithfulness of our God. At this time 
my elder brother, who had been laboring under 
great difficulty of mind, and seemed bordering 
on despair, found relief, and was enabled to re- 
joice in the Savior once more. 

" Sabbath, June 26th. This day methinks I 
have enjoyed a visit from my Savior. Oh ! how 
kindly does he draw by the cords of love, and 
how pleasant was it to wait upon God in his 
sanctuary." 

Beneath his cooling shade I sat, 
To shield me from the burning heat ; 
Of heavenly fruit he spreads a feast, 
To feed my eyes and please my taste. 

Kindly he brought me to the place 
Where stands the banquet of his grace. 
He saw me faint, and o'er my head 
The banner of his love he spread. 



116 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

With living bread and generous wine 
He cheers this sinking soul of mine ; 
And opening his whole heart to me, 
He shows his thoughts how kind they be. 

Oh ! never let my Lord depart ; 
Lie down and rest upon my heart. 
I charge my sins not once to move, 
Nor stir, nor wake, nor grieve my love. 

" Monday, June 27th, 1808. This day I have 
entered upon the forty-first year of my age. 
Alas ! when I look back upon my life past, what 
do I survey but a scene of rebellion the greater 
part, and base ingratitude for unmerited favors. 
But as the stubborn and rebellious Jews were 
destroyed in the course of the forty years in the 
wilderness, so may all my corruptions be slain, 
and may I now engage, as it were anew, upon 
the service of my Creator and Redeemer. From 
this time onward until the first of December, I 
trust I was enabled to rejoice in God my Sa- 
vior. I felt that all my salvation was of free 
grace. I can now take a sincere pleasure in 
public and private duties of worship, and in the 
society of Christians. If I be not deceived, I 
felt strong desires for the salvation of poor sin- 
ners, and I was enabled to see how God could 
be glorified, and to rejoice in it ; and methinks 
I felt such confidence in his faithfulness that I 
could commit to him all my future destinies." 



TRACK OF THE HEAVENLY FOOTMAN. 117 

Having pursued thus far through the lights 
and shadows of the Christian life herein traced, 
we leave our navigator for the present in this 
happy estate, the race of his life just half run ; 
praying that the peace of God which passeth 
all understanding may in like manner be the 
portion of every earnest mind that peruses these 



Say not 'tis all a dreary way, 

With rocks beset, with briers growing, 
Where never beams of sunlight stray, 

And ne'er a gentle stream is flowing. 
Or, if it be that thou dost stray 

Through scenes so darksome, wild, and frightful, 
Yet there is one who loves thee so, 

That he can make e'en this delightful. 
Then drive away thy doubts and fears, 

Nor dread the ills that threat to hurt thee ; 
For Christ, that saw thee in thy tears, 

Hath said, He never will desert thee. 

Footman in the heavenly race — 
Fellow-sinner, saved by grace, 
If thou hast indeed begun 
In the heavenly way to run — 
Many a cloud will gather o'er thee, 
Many a trial lies before thee, 
Many a wild along the way 
Waits to tempt thy foot astray ; 
Many a hill, whose rugged road 
Will not let thee bear thy load 



118 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

(Save the inseparable cross), 

Thou must climb, and leave thy dross. 

But there waiteth at the end 
Such a home and such a Friend, 
Such a crown and such a throne, 
Such a harp of heavenly tone, 
Such companions, such employ, 
Such a world of hallow'd joy ! 
And thou hast, along the way, 
Many a promise for thy stay ; 
Strength and comfort from above, 
Heavenly hope and heavenly love ! 
Footman, speed thy heavenward pace, 
Trust in God, and win the race. 



CHECKERED EXPERIENCE OP A CHRISTIAN. 119 



Chapter VI. 

LABORS WITH HIMSELF AND LABORS IN BEHALF OF 
THE SABBATH FOR SEAMEN. 

We're often like the lonesome dove that mourns her absent 

mate, 
From hill to hill, from vale to vale, her woes she doth relate: 
But Canaan's land is just before, sweet spring is coming on; 
A few more beating winds and rains, and winter will be gone. 
Sometimes like mountains to the skies, black Jordan's billows 

roar, 
And make us weary pilgrims fear we never shall get o'er : 
But when, as from Mount Pisgah's top, we view the vernal 

plain, 
To fright our souls may Jordan roar, and hell may rage in vain. 

Tiebout's Hymns. 

The web of human life is always party-col- 
ored : the tissue of the soul's history especially 
is made up of many threads, some black, some 
bright, and all closely interwoven with one an- 
other. The fabric of religious experience un- 
rolled in the present chapter is of this descrip- 
tion ; for in the life of Captain Congar, as in 
that of most other men, the clouds followed 
sunshine, storm came after calm, and a day of 
brightness and joy was frequently succeeded by 
a night of gloom. Men's faults, according to 



120 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

the dramatist, would despair if they were not 
nursed by their virtues ; and our virtues would 
grow proud if they were not whipped by our 
faults. 

Early in the spring of 1809 we find him in- 
stituting a rigid self-examination, taking him- 
self seriously to task, and sighing like Job, ' O 
that it were with me as in months that are 
passed, when the candle of the Lord shined 
upon me. 5 " We naturally love," says he, 
" pleasant gales and a smooth sea ; but when 
the rough winds of adversity begin to blow, 
how soon do our spirits sink. Not long since 
I trust I could say with a good degree of sin- 
cerity, ' The Lord is my portion ; what need I 
more !' I fondly hoped I should never again be 
exercised with doubts and fears ; but ah ! I 
have reason to fear that I looked too much to 
my own self, and forgot that, without Christ, I 
could do nothing. The state of my mind being 
so very different from what it was last summer, 
I have endeavored to draw a contrast between 
my exercises then and now. The Divine char- 
acter, perfections, and government appeared to 
me then admirable and lovely, and every way 
worthy the chief regard of all intelligent creat- 
ures. Now these glories seem hid, or other- 
wise the mind is so exceeding dull and stupid 



BROUGHT TO BEARINGS BY SELF-INQUIRY. 121 

that it takes very little satisfaction in meditat- 
ing on them. 

"Then I felt a sweet dependence upon the 
grace of God for all I needed both for time and 
eternity. Now the thoughts are employed 
much of my time in seeking to do something 
on the score of law, and frequently intent on 
quieting conscience. Then methinks I relied 
entirely on the atonement of the blessed Re- 
deemer for all hope of pardon and acceptance 
with God, and cordially embraced him for my 
Savior and my portion. Now the excellences 
of the Redeemer are not seen but at a distance, 
and the soul is bent on seeking some good 
work, or falls into melancholy. Before, there 
was an inconceivable composure of mind, that 
was pleased at all times, and could look for- 
ward to a never-ending eternity even with de- 
light. Now the mind knows but little of such 
feelings ; but, on the other hand, there is con- 
siderable anxiety for my future state. Then 
was experienced a liberty of soul, a deliverance 
from the shackles of Satan, and freedom from 
the reigning power of sin. Now new tempta- 
tions arise, the mind is filled with fears and 
doubts, difficulties increase, and I am in trou- 
ble, constantly harassed with vain and sinful 
thoughts. Then methinks I could approach 



122 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

the throne of grace with an humble boldness, 
and, though my desires were ardent for some 
particular mercies, especially the salvation of 
one who was dear to me, yet I felt a calm sub- 
mission that could leave all in the hands of 
God and say, His will be done. Now the duty 
of prayer is, I am ashamed to say, burden- 
some ; there is too often a want of liberty, the 
mind is much disturbed with wanderings, and 
there is very little sense of the great privilege 
granted to sinners in thus holding converse 
with the Most High. Then the society of 
Christians was pleasant and comfortable, and 
the affection they shared in my heart was 
strong and sincere, and much I enjoyed in their 
company. Now such seasons I realize not. I 
am sensible of very little fellowship with Chris- 
tians, and there is frequently a disposition to 
shun their society ; however, I can not say that 
I fully take pleasure in the society of those I 
deem destitute of religion. Then, if I be not 
deceived, I felt a benevolence and good-will to- 
ward my fellow-creatures, and strong desires 
for their salvation as connected with the glory 
of God ; but at present a great indifference 
prevails with regard to both these objects. Ah ! 
how little is to be enjoyed in the soul without 
religion in present exercise !" 



THE CHRISTIAN MARINER^ NIGHT SIDE. 123 

A morbid melancholy now possessed him for 
a little season, and his mind preyed upon itself, 
owing mainly to a want of steady, satisfying 
employment while off the sea. But the severe 
self-scrutiny and sorrow for sin he underwent 
resulted in benefit to his Christian character, 
and to the establishment of his soul in grace. 
At length, on the twenty-fourth of April, 1809, 
we find this entry in his journal : 

" An arrangement being fixed upon between 
the British minister and our government for the 
renewal of commerce, I have this day taken 
command of the ship Atlas, belonging to the 
house of W. Neilson & Son, in whose employ I 
had been before the embargo took place. I trust 
I entered upon this business with prayer to God 
that I might be enabled to seek his glory in all 
my pursuits, and be useful to my fellow-creat- 
ures in the sphere wherein I am placed. I 
feel, indeed, insufficient for the duties of my sta- 
tion, but I endeavor to look up to the Lord for 
direction and support. This ship being nearly 
loaded before I took charge of her, we had but 
little to do in order to get ready for sea. 

"May the 11th we left New York, and on 
the loth sailed from Sandy Hook with a fine 
breeze, which scarcely left us until we were at 
anchor in King Road, being thirty-three days 



124 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

from New York. "We sailed again from Bristol 
on the eighth day of August, with a full freight 
for New York. 

" On the 19th of October, after being seven- 
ty-two days at sea, and a part of the time in 
great danger from icebergs, we arrived safe in 
New York, much to the satisfaction of my 
friends and employer, who all had their fears 
for our safety. The Sabbath following I was 
once more favored with an opportunity of meet- 
ing my Newark friends, and of making public 
acknowledgments to Almighty God in his house 
for his mercies to me while absent. Methinks 
I experienced peculiar satisfaction in the soci- 
ety of my Christian brethren, with whom of 
late I had been in habits of so much intimacy, 
and who seemed to say in their countenances 
as well as with their lips, Welcome once more 
in the land of the living. 

" Soon after we had delivered the cargo we 
contemplated another voyage, and as by a late 
law we were now restricted from going to En- 
gland, my employers finally concluded to order 
us for Madeira. Although the difficulties to be 
expected in our business seemed to be increas- 
ing, nevertheless I engaged in this voyage with 
much less reluctance than was the case the pre- 
ceding voyage. In general, I trust I can say 



CONSIDERATIONS OF DUTY TO HIS CREW. 125 

with sincerity that, notwithstanding the un- 
pleasant sensations at parting with friends, and 
all the difficulties incident to my situation in 
life, yet I have found much peace of mind and 
much of the favor of God ; mercies which I de- 
sire to feel grateful for, and hope that I may 
cherish a due sense of my obligations at all 
times upon my mind. 

" Since I have been preparing for this voyage, 
my thoughts have been much employed on the 
importance of endeavoring to instruct those who 
might fall under my care in the great business 
of religion. I have viewed with concern that 
this class of men, whose occupation is on the 
mighty waters, are necessarily excluded from 
the common opportunities of religious instruc- 
tion and means of grace with which people on 
land are favored, and I could not see how their 
situation was ever likely to be otherwise, ex- 
cept those who have the command feel it in- 
cumbent, and undertake to supply the place of 
others more capable. And I have often thought 
our particular situation at sea ivould greatly 
assist the feeblest efforts which might be made 
to lead men to consider their ways. 

" What is better calculated to teach us our 
dependence on God than to be exposed on the 
wide ocean, and sometimes in a crazy vessel 



126 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

too, to every gust of wind that blows, and to 
innumerable dangers which human foresight 
can not discover, or, if discovered, could not pre- 
vent ? Is not the mighty power of God re- 
markably displayed in raising up the stormy 
wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof, and 
sometimes threatens destruction to every thing 
before them ? In the 107th PsaJm is a grand 
description of God's power in the deep, and of 
the situation of those who behold these awful 
displays. Besides, the sea is particularly favor- 
able to reflection. Called upon for a time to 
part not only with the most endearing comforts 
of life, but with those scenes of mirth and folly 
which drown every serious thought, the sailor, 
while he stands his watch on deck, is compelled 
to reflect ; and I believe few instances occur 
where sailors do not feel some secret misgivings 
for their misspent time while at sea, and resolve 
to amend their ways. 

" And, besides, I have felt accountable to God, 
in some degree, for the souls of those whom he 
should put under my care and authority. I 
did not, indeed, consider myself placed in the 
situation of a parent, for then, as a professor of 
religion, I could not have neglected these duties, 
but rather considered myself as a master and a 
watchman. I have thought much of the im- 



STRUGGLE BETWEEN DIFFIDENCE AND DUTY. 127 

port of the words contained in the sixth verse 
of the thirty-third chapter of Ezekiel. I cer- 
tainly profess and trust I do see, in some meas- 
ure, the judgments of God coming upon all 
finally impenitent sinners ; how, then, can I neg- 
lect to give them warning, whether they will 
hear or whether they will forbear, that at least 
I may deliver my own soul ? 

"I have also understood the apostle's argu- 
ments in the tenth chapter of Romans and four- 
teenth verse, to be a direction and injunction on 
all who have the Scriptures in their hands, and 
hope they understand, in some degree, the will 
of God as contained therein, to use their influ- 
ence as they have opportunity, in instructing 
those who hitherto have remained ignorant or 
regardless of so important a matter. 

" And, if I be not deceived, I see that God is 
infinitely worthy to be loved by all his intelli- 
gent creatures. And do I not believe that all 
mankind are under sin, and have need of a Sa- 
vior ? and shall I be content so long as I secure 
my own salvation, let what will become of oth- 
ers ? Some hints thrown out by the Reverend 
William Woodbridge, while I was at home, had 
considerable influence on my mind in determin- 
ing what ought to be done. But when the va- 
rious difficulties presented themselves to me — 



128 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

when I began to count the cost, my resolution 
began to fail ; for I felt wholly insufficient for 
so great an undertaking, and my own dullness 
and stupidity rendered me so insensible to the 
great objects which had now engaged my atten- 
tion, that I was on the point of giving up the 
whole as impracticable. 

"With all my resolutions and fears before 
me, I turned my eyes toward the mighty God 
of Jacob, and resting, I trust, on his promise, 
that as our day is so shall our strength be, I 
called the crew together on New-year's day, 
1810, and informed them of my intentions, at 
the same time using arguments to convince 
them of the necessity and propriety of attend- 
ing constantly and seriously to the important 
concerns of religion. They listened to me with 
apparent readiness to unite in the duties which 
I had proposed, and accordingly we fixed upon 
the hour of six o'clock the same evening to meet 
for these exercises. 

"At the time appointed we assembled in the 
cabin gangway (our cabin being filled with car- 
go), and spent some time in reading and mak- 
ing some observations on the Scriptures, and 
concluded with prayer. In the performance of 
these duties I experienced much less difficulty 
than I anticipated, and I can say, to the credit 



THE SABBATH EXPERIMENT SUCCESSFUL. 129 

of the crew, they all behaved with a very be- 
coming deportment. 

" Sabbath, January 7th. Feeling it import- 
ant that the day set apart for religious worship 
on shore should be observed in something like 
such a manner at sea, I made some observations 
to the crew on the propriety of considering the 
Sabbath of God's appointment, and as a day set 
apart for religious worship, and therefore bind-* 
ing on all men and in all places, as circum- 
stances would admit ; adding, that it was my 
desire we should meet at the hour of two o'clock 
in the afternoon for the purposes before men- 
tioned. 

" When the hour arrived we came together, 
and spent some time in prayer, reading the 
Scriptures, and something from the works of 
Mr. Bellamy, &c. While attending to these ex- 
ercises they all behaved orderly and decent, and, 
indeed, through the whole day. On the whole, 
the day has been comfortable to me, far beyond 
what I have experienced many Sabbaths at 
sea, and I am not without hopes these feeble at- 
tempts to restrain the prevailing vices of those 
whose business is on the great waters, and to 
teach the fear of God even in a ship, may not 
be altogether in vain. Although I dare not say 
with confidence my motives are pure, and that 
T 



130 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAK. 

my actions spring wholly from sincere desires 
to promote the Redeemer's kingdom, yet some- 
times I do hope this is the case. 

"Our passage was very comfortable, consid- 
ering the season of the year, and otherwise much 
more agreeable than it usually is on board of 
ships. On the thirty-third day from our leav- 
ing New York we were off the town of Fun- 
chal (Madeira), and about coming to anchor, 
but the weather growing squally, we stood to 
sea again, and the same night came on a heavy 
gale from the northwest. We returned to the 
roads again and anchored the eighteenth of 
January. Found a large number of vessels ly- 
ing here, a circumstance by no means desirable, 
it being a wild roadstead at the best. Our car- 
go being intended for the British market, we 
were obliged to wait for vessels from England 
to take it on board. The first fourteen days 
after our arrival had fine weather, and met with 
no difficulty ; but from this time until we took 
our departure from the island, we were obliged 
to put to sea five different times, and on the 
last of these occasions we were out twenty-three 
days. Several of our crew got hurt in one way 
or another, but none proved fatal." 

April 7th, having completed discharging the 
cargo, they sailed for the Cape de Verd Islands 



BENIGN EFFECT OF HALLOWING THE SABBATH. 131 

for a cargo of salt ; but, being disappointed in 
obtaining it, they proceeded at once in ballast 
to New York. In reviewing this voyage, he 
says, " With respect to any effect produced on 
the crew by attending religious duties, I think 
I can say with truth, that in general they be- 
haved much less immoral, and for the most 
part more orderly and decent in their conduct 
than is usually the case on board of ships, and 
one of them, a native of Sweden, gave consid- 
erable evidence, on his return home, of his hav- 
ing experienced the power of religion on his 
heart. 

" We were not long in port at this time be- 
fore our employers concluded to send the ship 
to Liverpool, and, with this view, commenced 
loading with all possible dispatch. It now ap- 
peared advisable for me to acquaint some one 
of the clergy in the city with my proceedings, 
and, should they be approved of, to ask further 
advice and assistance. I saw Dr. Romeyne. 
He encouraged me to continue the practice, and 
promised to procure some Bibles from the New 
York Bible Society, to be disposed of on board 
as I might deem proper ; he also recommended 
me to get some religious tracts, to be distribu- 
ted among the crew as occasion might offer. 
And now the time drew near that I must part 



132 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

with connections and friends, with the society 
of Christians, and, I may add, almost with the 
world, to pursue my occupation again on the 
deep. But this reflection calmed my mind : 
The Lord is every where — myself and all that 
is dear to me are in his hands ; and with grati- 
tude I can say I don't recollect an instance 
when I have been so composed on these occa- 
sions. 

" We were now again a little family of stran- 
gers, formed promiscuously of different charac- 
ters, and about one half of our number were 
colored people. Sabbath morning, July 8th, 
being the first opportunity which offered, I called 
the crew together, and, after entreating them 
to observe a decency of conduct, to refrain from 
profane and unbecoming language, and to re- 
gard the Sabbath day differently from what is 
usually the case at sea, I informed them it was 
my desire we should meet together as often as 
circumstances would admit to attend upon re- 
ligious duties after the manner which we had 
done the voyage before. I also distributed the 
Bibles among them, as they were destitute, with 
the religious tracts. I have the pleasure to say, 
on all occasions when the crew have been called 
upon to attend on religious exercises, their con- 
duct would have done honor to a better-informed 



VIEWS OF HIMSELF AND OF GOD. 1 3J3 

society, and I am not without hopes the Lord 
will bless these means to the good of some. 
Wednesday, July 18th, being about the Banks 
of Newfoundland, we fell in with a large island 
of ice, appearing to be at least forty feet above 
the surface of the water. This makes the fourth 
time I have fallen in with ice in these latitudes ; 
and I can not but remark the interposition of 
Providence in our escapes from shipwreck, since 
we have always had thick blowing weather just 
before we have seen them, after which the 
weather continued fine until we considered our- 
selves out of danger. 

" My thoughts at this time are dwelling much 
on the deceitfulness of my own heart. I find 
that by nature it is desperately wicked; who 
can know it ? And it is astonishing what pleas 
Satan and corrupt nature will urge that sin 
may be indulged. But where sin abounded, 
grace did much more abound. Thanks be to 
God, the consolations of his word are equal to 
our wants ; herein I found relief to my mind 
under these fears and doubts from the following 
passage in the 119th Psalm and 49th verse : 
' Remember the word unto thy servant, upon 
which thou hast caused me to hope. 5 I find 
nothing in the Scriptures spoken particularly 
to me as a foundation to build my hopes upon, 



134 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

but I find there, ' God so loved the world, that 
he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever 
believeth on him might not perish, but obtain 
everlasting life ;' and, indeed, the whole Bible 
is calculated to afford, consolation and support 
to the mourner for sin." 

On their return from Liverpool, a sudden 
and awful tempest was experienced, respecting 
which we find it entered in the Journal : " This 
I reckoned the third heaviest gale ever witness- 
ed by me. Our ship lay very safe, notwith- 
standing she would sometimes roll the fore-yard 
six feet under water. As soon as we had se- 
cured the sails I called the crew down into the 
cabin, and sought by prayer and supplication 
the protection of Him who holdeth the winds 
in His fists and the waters in the hollow of His 
hand ; and blessed be His name, we were de- 
livered from all evil in this difficult time. Oh 
that men would praise the Lord for his good- 
ness and for his wonderful works to the chil- 
dren of men." 

In another voyage to England, immediately 
subsequent to this, he took the same course 
with respect to the Sabbath on the first Lord's 
day out of port, distributing Bibles and tracts 
as before, and addressing his crew on the du- 
ties of religion ; and he remarks, in recording 



A VERY COMMON MISTAKE CORRECTED. 135 

it, "I must now take notice of a circumstance 
which I can not but deem as providential. 
Previous to my undertaking to perform relig- 
ious exercises on board, I had for some consid- 
erable time been subject to a great weakness 
of the lungs, insomuch that I found it difficult 
to read or speak even for a few minutes ; but, 
from the first attempt until the present time, 
I have found no difficulty on this account, though 
I have sometimes been engaged reading and 
speaking two hours together. On the afternoon 
of the Sabbath above alluded to, we met and at- 
tended to reading the Scriptures, a hymn, some- 
thing from the confession of faith on prayer, and 
also Watts's guide to prayer on the same sub- 
ject, and concluded with prayer. 

" Although most part of the crew were stran- 
gers to me, and strangers to such proceedings at 
sea, they conducted with the strictest propriety 
and good order, and I am now fully convinced 
that the notion which many masters and offi- 
cers of ships entertain, that sailors can not be 
governed without rough usage and bad lan- 
guage, is altogether void of weight ; since I 
have found, by considerable experience, much 
less difficulty in the matter than when, as for- 
merly (ivith shame I confess it), I have myself 
used these practices. And it is also a mistake 



136 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

that sailors will mock at every thing like relig- 
ion on board. It is true that some appear to 
be very little affected with its weighty con- 
cerns, and is it not true, also, that many dis- 
cover the same indifference on land ?" 

On their return from Bristol they took on 
board a number of passengers both in the cabin 
and steerage ; and with the Christian fidelity 
and carefulness for souls which had now be- 
come a part of Captain Congar's character, he 
took occasion, as soon as they were over their 
sea-sickness, to express his wish that they should 
attend to religious duties on Sabbath days, and 
on the evening of every day. This, he says, 
they all readily assented to, and some of them 
even seemed desirous of it. 

" One of the passengers in the steerage, being 
a professor of religion, used to assist on these 
occasions, and this practice we continued all 
the passage, and it was not only comfortable to 
myself, but I hope in some measure profitable 
to all. The latter part of the passage we had 
more favorable winds, and arrived in New York 
July 13th, being forty-four days, all in good 
health ; for which mercies I desire to be thank- 
ful, but especially for the consolations of the 
Spirit afforded me at different times while at 
sea, so that I trust J could say His favor is 



RELIGIOUS ENJOYMENT IN ORDINANCES. 137 

life, and his loving-kindness is better than 
life." 

This habit he continued in successive voy- 
ages to and from England until the interrup- 
tion of commerce with Great Britain by the war 
of 1812. The inconvenience of being put out 
of business thereby, he gratefully takes notice, 
was made up to him by the satisfaction found 
in the society of friends and Christian ordinan- 
ces. At the Lord's Supper he had humbling 
views of his own unworthiness, and reviving 
views of Christ, that made him exclaim, 

Why was I made to hear thy voice, 

And enter while there's room, 
While thousands make a wretched choice. 

And rather starve than come. 

"Having, therefore, professedly set to my 
seal that God is true, oh that I might be ena- 
bled to dedicate myself to His service. Surely 
his service is an easy service. It is perfect free- 
dom. His yoke is easy and his burden is light. 
Have I not found by experience that the service 
of God is easier than the service of sin and Sa- 
tan, without regard to consequences ? Awake, 
then, my sluggish soul, trim up thy lamp, and 
be like them that wait for their Lord, when he 
shall return from the wedding. 

" It would surpass my powers to mention 



138 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

the tender mercies of God toward me since I 
have been at home with my friends. Much I 
have enjoyed in their society and that of my 
Christian brethren. 

" It now became my duty to resume my pro- 
fession. The state of war in which our nation 
was unhappily engaged with Great Britain, to- 
gether with the difficulty which we were liable 
to on the ocean from the armed vessels of other 
nations, particularly the Algerines, who had 
lately declared hostilities against the United 
States, rendered this business extremely haz- 
ardous. But, believing that my duty lay in 
that line, and endeavoring to commit my way 
unto the Lord, who is always ready to relieve 
the wants of his dependent creatures, I went to 
New York for the purpose of seeking employ. 
I had been in the city but a few days before I 
met with Mr. N., my late employer, who gave 
me to understand he was about preparing the 
ship Susannah for a voyage to Lisbon, and in- 
timated a wish I should take charge of her. 
This I readily agreed to, and on the 18th of 
October commenced my new engagements on 
board the above ship. 

" Without interruption from the cruisers of 
any nation, we passed the Azores in twenty 
days, on the 11th of December made the Rock 



DIVERS DANGERS SAFELY PASSED. 18U 

of Lisbon, and at 3 P.M. of the next day came 
to anchor in the Tagus, all well. While lying 
here, a heavy blow from the westward did great 
damage to the shipping. Several were obliged 
to slip or cut their cables and run on shore, in 
order to avoid greater damage ; and two drifted 
down with the ebb tide, and, for want of cables 
and anchors, were totally lost. Providentially," 
says Captain Congar, " we escaped with trifling 
injury. From the commencement of the voy- 
age we have been accustomed to the practice 
of attending religious duties as often as possi- 
ble, and I am happy to say on these occasions 
the crew have generally behaved with great 
decorum and regularity. But, alas ! what stu- 
pidity and coldness is but too manifest among 
us. For my own part, I am constrained to ac- 
knowledge that, after all my professions and at- 
tainments, all my resolutions and hopes, if the 
spirit of grace should withdraw from me, I am 
undone ; and I feel convinced that heaven can 
never be attained by my own strength or wis- 
dom. Oh Lord ! preserve me from that luke- 
warmness, and its dreadful consequences, with 
which the Church of the Laodiceans are charg- 
ed, and for which they are threatened ; and 
warm my heart with the Savior's love, that I 
may not merely possess the form of godliness 



140 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

while destitute of the power thereof. Oh for 
the constant witness of the Spirit that I am 
born of God ! Let my hope of heaven be steady 
and bright, then will I hold on in the way of 
obedience, and wax stronger and stronger." 



Through night, and clouds, and gloomy fears, 

Though dragons often roar, 
Yet in the great Redeemer's strength 

111 press to Canaan's shore. 
Methinks I now begin to see 

The borders of that land ; 
The trees of grace with heavenly fruit 

In beauteous order stand : 
The wint'ry time will soon be gone, 

The summer soon appear ; 
The glorious day is rolling on, 

The great Sabbatic year. 
Oh ! what a glorious sight appears 

To my believing eyes ; 
Methinks I see Jerusalem, 

A city in the skies. 
Oh ! that my faith were strong to rise, 

And bear my soul away, 
I'd give all glory to the Lamb, 

Through everlasting day. 



EXAMPLE WORTHY OF IMITATION. 141 



Chapter VII. 

CHRISTIAN LIFE AND DUTIES AT SEA CONTINUED. 

Bought by Christ's blood, and to the purchase true, 
The Christian runs with cheerfulness the race 
Which God in wisdom hath seen fit to trace, 

Nor turns, some other object to pursue ; 

Nor slacks his steadfast course ; sometimes he sees 
Fires in his path, or hears the serpent's breath, 
Or raging men with implements of death, 

But still goes on, nor like the coward flees. 

The road is strait and narrow ; if he turns, 
Ruin awaits him ; if he onward goes, 

With face erect and heart with love that burns, 
However great the obstacles, he knows 

That God, who hath all power, all things can do, 

Will guard him in his straits, and bear him glorious through. 

Scripture Sonnets. 

Early in the year 1813 we find Captain Con- 
gar again in command on the deep, keeping the 
Sabbath day holy before his crew, and so act- 
ing as their minister and friend as to secure 
their good- will and hearty concurrence in his 
measures for sanctifying the Lord's day. His 
voyages were in a high degree successful, es- 
caping both the ordinary dangers of the sea and 
those from hostile privateers and cruisers. He 
returned to share in the remarkable work of 



142 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

grace which was then in progress through New 
Jersey and other parts of the Middle States. 
He entered into it with great delight, and a 
manifest refreshing to his own soul, remarking 
respecting it, " Thus are the walls of the spirit- 
ual Jerusalem building up even in troublesome 
times." 

But he was not now to enjoy it long, for his 
employer soon informed him of his intention to 
dispatch the ship again to Lisbon. " I could have 
wished," he says, "to have stayed a little longer 
with my family and friends, and the people of 
God, but I endeavored to submit to the will of 
Providence, trusting that all things were or- 
dered in wisdom and in mercy. 

" Friday, April 9th, our ship being loaded, 
and seeing but little prospect of getting out to 
sea before the Sabbath, my mind became con- 
cerned to know how far it would be consistent 
with the command to remember the Sabbath 
day to keep it holy, to proceed on the voyage 
should a favorable wind offer on the Sabbath. 
My mind had been more or less exercised on 
this subject for a long time past, and I had 
come to this conclusion, that when no unavoid- 
able occurrence made it necessary, we ought by 
all means to refuse commencing the voyage on 
that day, which was not only set apart as a day 



A NOBLE RESOLUTION TAKEN. 143 

of worship, but as a day of rest from worldly 
concerns, that thy manservant and thy maid- 
servant may rest as well as thou. 

" Sabbath morning arrived, the wind was fa- 
vorable, and my employer anxious, fearing a 
blockade from the British, we proceeded. But, 
as though the Lord intended to show us that 
our exertions and anxieties were fruitless, when 
we reached Sandy Hook the wind became un- 
favorable, and continued so three days. I now 
had time to reflect upon what we had done, and 
from the reasons enjoined in the Scriptures, my 
own feelings on the subject, and the remon- 
strances of conscience, I formed this resolve, 
that, through the assistance of divine grace, 
should I ever have the command of a ship of- 
fered me again, I ivould, at the same time, 
give my employer to understand my determina- 
tion not to commence the voyage on a day clear- 
ly instituted by divine wisdom for the most ex- 
alted employment of ivhich man is capable. 

" The same evening we left the city, we com- 
menced attending religious duties as on other 
voyages ; and although on each voyage some 
part of the crew were strangers to me and 
strangers to such a practice, yet they mani- 
fested a readiness to unite in these duties, which 
could scarcely have been expected." This was 



144 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

a speedy and successful voyage, and they sailed 
again from the Tagus, homeward bound, June 
4th. "We had all been very healthy while in 
port, but, shortly after sailing, almost every one 
of the crew complained of bad colds, attended 
with soreness of the throat and pains in the 
bones ; and, among the rest, I had an attack of 
the same, the nature of which assumed the char- 
acter of the influenza as nearly as any other 
complaint. Oh, may these light afflictions, 
which are but for a moment, work for us a far 
more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. 
How very just are the remarks of an ancient 
poet on the good of evils : 

One week's extremity may teach us more 

Than long prosperity had done before ; 

Death is forgotten in our easy state, 

But troubles mind us of our final fate ; 

The doing ill affects us not with fears, 

But suffering ill brings sorrow, woe, and tears. 

"It is not easy to reflect that we are mortal, 
dying creatures ; that we are liable every mo- 
ment to be crushed before the moth when pros- 
perity, health, and ease attend us constantly. 
How salutary, then, are afflictions. Herein we 
learn our absolute and entire dependence on 
God for all things, even those mercies which 
by reason of their commonness we too often 
overlook. Herein do we realize the vanity of 



HEALTHFUL DISCIPLINE OF SICKNESS. 145 

sublunary enjoyments, and how little comfort 
they can administer in a time of trouble, and 
thus, through divine grace, are we enabled to 
seek a portion in a better world. Nothing so 
effectually writes vanity on all things beneath 
the sun as afflictions. Yet there is a real good 
in possessing health, wealth, and the varied and 
multiplied comforts of a kind Providence. The 
great evil arises from our abuse of, or an inor- 
dinate attachment to these gifts, which were 
not designed as the best portion Infinite Love 
had to give; and it would be as inconsistent 
for us to consider temporary enjoyments any 
thing more than transient comforts afforded us 
while passing through the journey of life to the 
haven of rest, as it would be for the traveler to 
sit down contented with the first commodious 
inn he might stop at, and say I am fully satis- 
fied with what I find here, and so make no 
further attempts to prosecute his way, though 
immense wealth was ready for him at his jour- 
ney's end. 

" Methinks I can now join the Psalmist and 
say, ' It was good for me that I was afflicted.' 
One great mercy it would be the highest in- 
gratitude in me not to remember and acknowl- 
edge. The Lord has graciously been pleased 
to afford me pretty generally, during my pres- 
K 



140 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

ent trouble, a comfortable sense of his Divine 
favor. I have not felt over-anxious about the 
issue of this disease : I trust I feel in good 
measure willing the Lord should do with me 
as seemeth good in his sight. I am entirely 
in his hands, and I have no claim on goodness 
or mercy. Every comfort I receive, and every 
hope afforded me, I consider gratuitously free 
and undeserved. But alas ! how many errors 
and imperfections do I discover in my heart and 
life. Affliction brings about, as it were, a sort 
of court of inquiry into all our actions. This 
we approve, and that we condemn, and we dis- 
cover many failings which otherwise would nev- 
er have been detected. 

" Thursday, June 17th. Through the infinite 
kindness of Him who restores the sick and pre- 
serves the health of his dependent creatures, 
we are all again comfortable, and favored with 
winds and pleasant weather, each one hoping 
soon to meet his friends on the shores of Colum- 
bia. May it be the sincere and unreserved 
language of every heart on board, ' What shall 
I render to the Lord for all his benefits V June 
27th. This day I have entered upon the forty- 
sixth year of my life. Not to examine what I 
have been doing the whole period of my exist- 
ence, let me glance over my temper and con- 



BIRTH-DAY REVIEW AND EXAMINATION. 147 

duct the years just past, if by these means I 
may discover whether I have gone forward in 
the divine life, or whether I must be constrained 
to draw the unfavorable conclusion of the re- 
verse. And here I not only have to lament 
my dullness, and shortcomings, and unprofit- 
ableness in the things of religion, but, in too 
many instances, by my temper and behavior, I 
fear that I have given occasion for the enemies 
of religion to speak reproachfully. But the 
Lord's mercies exceed our faults. With grati- 
tude I desire to acknowledge the kindness and 
patience of God toward me in bearing with my 
infirmities, and affording me so many instances 
of his fatherly care, in watching over my life 
and health, and bringing me to the commence- 
ment of a new era of my existence in circum- 
stances of comfort beyond my deserts, and so 
far beyond what so many of my fellow-creat- 
ures enjoy : ' Bless the Lord, O my soul ! and 
forget not all his benefits.' 

' ' And now, since through that same mercy and 
goodness which I have been the subject of from 
the day of my birth am I again entered upon a 
new period of my mortal life, what engagements 
does it behoove me to make ; what resolutions 
to form ? Surely I ought to love the Lord 
with all my might and strength. Every fac- 



148 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

ulty should be swift to do his will. May I then 
go on, in the strength of my Redeemer, to every 
work allotted me, taking up my cross daily. 
Oh that I might learn habitually to deny my- 
self, to subdue every corrupt passion, and thus 
be preparing for the society of those blessed 
spirits who, with one heart and voice, cease not 
to cry, * Holy, holy is the Lord of hosts ; the 
whole earth is full of thy glory.' Oh, when 
shall I be there with them !" 

By faith I see the land, 

The port of endless rest : 
My soul, thy sails expand, 
And fly to Jesus's breast ! 
Oh, may I reach the heavenly shore, 
Where winds and waves distress no more ! 

On their return from Lisbon, being warned 
by a frigate and privateer, fallen in with east 
of Halifax, not to attempt New York or the 
Sound, they put in to Newport. In the small 
town of Somerset, not far from there, the ship 
was laid up and crew discharged, the prosecu- 
tion of the war forbidding any farther com- 
merce. For eighteen months Captain Congar 
was now at home, enjoying highly the religious 
privileges with which he was favored, and find- 
ing them eminently conducive to his edifica- 
tion. In order that he might be useful at the 



SCHOOLMASTER IN WAR CAPTAIN IN PEACE. 149 

same time, he opened a school at his own house, 
which he continued teaching until the middle of 
February, 1815, when we find it thus entered in 
the journal : " A messenger arrived from En- 
gland with a treaty of peace between Great Brit- 
ain and the United States, concluded at Ghent, 
and ratified by the British government. This 
gratifying news was received throughout the 
United States with the most lively sensibility, 
and by many with devout thankfulness. 

" I now began to turn my thoughts once more 
toward the sea, and in a few days received a 
letter from my late employers giving me to 
understand they had a ship, the command of 
which I might have as soon as the ice should 
dissolve so that she could be brought down the 
river (being then at Poughkeepsie, about eighty 
miles above New York). Having dismissed 
my school, I proceeded on my way, the eight- 
eenth of March, to take charge of the ship Ni- 
agara, the ice in the river being principally 
broken up. In about a week we returned to 
New York with the ship, and almost immedi- 
ately began preparing to sail for New Orleans. 
As I had done before, so soon as circumstances 
opened a way, I introduced the practice of at- 
tending religious worship on the Sabbath, hav- 
ing a number of passengers, and also distribu- 



)50 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

ted some Bibles among the crew, supplied me 
by the Auxiliary Bible Society of New York, 
and several religious tracts." 

They reached New Orleans safely on the elev- 
enth of June, and left again for Liverpool on the 
twenty-eighth, " happy in the prospect of being 
not only relieved from the oppression of the 
heat, but from being annoyed by the muske- 
toes, which, for the time we were coming down 
the river, seemed almost insupportable. 

" Soon after being at sea, I informed the crew 
it was my intention to attend religious worship 
morning and evening of every day when the 
weather and other circumstances ivould permit, 
giving them to understand, at the same time, 
that I wished them to feel perfectly at liberty 
to attend on these occasions, or to omit if they 
thought proper, recommending to them, how- 
ever, the diligent use of the means of grace as 
the most likely way to obtain the pardon of sin, 
and insure the Divine blessing on the work of 
our hands. 

" Sometimes I would take opportunity to 
exhort them to repentance and to forsake their 
sins, endeavoring to show them, in my feeble 
manner, the dreadfulness of lying under the 
curse of God, and recommending religion as the 
only thing to prepare us to live or die, setting 



SOCIAL RELIGION AT SEA. 151 

forth the reasonableness of the Divine com- 
mands, and the wickedness and folly of rebel- 
ling against the God of heaven and earth. The 
Lord is a sovereign ; with him I desire to leave 
my endeavors to promote religion among my 
fellow-seamen. If he should see fit to make 
me an instrument of good to any who sail with 
me, to his name be all the glory. 

" Friday, July 28th. This birth-day my soul 
is bowed down under a sense of my sin, and I 
go mourning all the day. Alas ! for my follies 
the past year. But oh ! the mercies bestowed 
by a covenant God. How many of my coun- 
trymen have fallen in battle ; how many fami- 
lies have been driven from their homes ; how 
many suffered to run into evils and temptations, 
while I have been preserved and delivered from 
the snare of the fowler. Divine Savior, keep 
me still by thy power, through faith unto sal- 
vation. But oh ! my inconstant heart ! What 
abundant reason have I to distrust it ? Surely 
it is deceitful above all things, and desperately 
wicked ; who can know it ? What a wonder 
of grace that I am spared. Oh Lord, give me 
not only repentance for all my sins, but give me 
faith in thy blood, that I may always apply to 
that all-sufficient fountain, wash, and be clean." 

They reached Liverpool safely, but soon aft- 



152 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

er leaving for New York a heavy gale overtook 
them, during which they found it difficult to 
keep off the land. "In this perilous time," 
says Captain Congar, "I called the crew to- 
gether, expressed to them my fears for our safe- 
ty, and besought them to join me in imploring 
mercy and Divine protection from shipwreck ; 
and, blessed be that God whose ears are always 
open to the cries of the needy who put their 
trust in him, we were saved from all our fears. 
The winds moderated and became more favor- 
able, and we proceeded on our way." 

The ensuing winter of 1815-16 was spent 
at home ; but in June Captain Congar is put 
in charge of the ship Phocion by his old em- 
ployers, and dispatched to Lisbon and St. Ubes, 
whither he takes his wife with him, and arrives 
back from a successful voyage on the twenty- 
sixth of September, 1816. At its close he 
says, " According to our usual practice, we at- 
tended our religious duties on board, and I hope 
not without some good effect. The crew, when 
paid off, very liberally put into my hands thir- 
teen dollars for the New York Bible Society." 

Immediately after discharging cargo, the 
Phocion was ordered again to Wilmington, 
North Carolina, and thence to Hull, England. 
On the passage we find this entry : " Sabbath, 



EUROPEAN VOYAGE IN THE PHOCION. 153 

April 13th, 1817. This day, the weather be- 
ing fine, we had a more favorable opportunity 
to attend religious duties than usual. Accord- 
ing to my imperfect manner, I read the Scrip- 
tures, exhorted, admonished, and prayed with 
my crew. They attended with decency of con- 
duct ; and I still hope, through the Divine mer- 
cy, that my feeble efforts to be some way useful 
to my fellow-seamen will not be altogether in 
vain. But oh, my soul, what art thou doing? 
Thou teachest others; teachest thou not thy- 
self? I am indeed in heaviness through mani- 
fold temptations. ' Oh Lord, undertake for 
me, and deliver me ; so shall I praise thy name.' 
" Friday, 18th. Oh! how shall sinners stand 
at the bar of God to answer for the deeds done 
in the body ? ' If my heart condemn me, God is 
greater than my heart, and knoweth all things.' 
How little do we know of ourselves, except the 
Spirit of truth open our eyes to see the extent 
of the Divine commands, and to see what a holy 
Being we have to do with. If I were called to 
an account for my neglects of duty to my fel- 
low-creatures, what could I answer ? Alas ! 
how numberless have been my failures. How 
unfaithful to my wife, in not admonishing with 
meekness, how little concerned for her ever- 
lasting welfare. I am distressed lest she should 



154 CAPTAIN OBAD1AH CONGAR. 

perish through my criminal indifference for her 
soul's salvation. Oh, how little charity, how 
little true benevolence for men ! How faint my 
zeal for the Redeemer's kingdom, except the 
Divine life be maintained in the soul. ' Woe to 
them that are at ease in Zion, that trust in the 
mountain of Samaria.' Too long have I been 
at ease, and trusted in my own righteousness. 
" How dangerous is prosperity, either in tem- 
poral or spiritual things. ' Surely I am more 
brutish than any man, and have not the under- 
standing of a man.' O Lord, if prosperity 
cause me to wander from thee, let me never 
have prosperity while I live. Keep me by thy 
grace in the valley of humiliation. Deep hu- 
mility best becomes so great a sinner. Oh, 
rather let me go softly all my years, in the bit- 
terness of my soul, than that I should be lifted 
up with spiritual pride, and forget God. April 
24th. I am made to feel that sin is a great 
evil, and to realize that the Lord is a God of 
knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. 
How desirable is it to have a comfortable sense 
that our sins are forgiven ; but, alas for me ! 
what right have I to look for comfort? My 
backslidings reprove me, and I am made to pos- 
sess the iniquities of my youth. The precious 
volume of inspiration is, indeed, full of conde- 



HEAVENWARD HOPES AND ASPIRATIONS. 155 

scending and gracious invitations to sinners to 
return to their offended Sovereign. I would 
endeavor, through Divine assistance, still to 
hope in the mercy of God through Jesus Christ. 
Blessed be his name that we read that he came 
to save them who, through fear of death, were 
all their lifetime subject to bondage, and that 
he suffered, being tempted, that he might suc- 
cor them that are tempted." 



1 Cleanse me, O Lord, and cheer my soul 

With thy forgiving love ; 
O make my broken spirit whole, 

And bid my pains remove. 
Let not thy Spirit quite depart, 

Nor drive me from thy face ; 
Create anew my vicious heart, 

And fill it with thy grace. 
Then will I make thy mercy known 

Before the sons of men ; 
Backsliders shall address thy throne, 

And turn to God again.'' 



156 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONG Alt. 



Chapter VIII. 

PECULIAR RELIGIOUS EXERCISES AND ORIGINAL COR- 
RESPONDENCE WITH REV. THOMAS SCOTT. 

Thus from the Elect, regenerate through faith, 
Pass the dark passions, and what thirsty cares 
Drink up the spirit. Lo ! they vanish, or acquire 
New names, new features — by supernal grace 
Enrobed with light, and naturalized in heaven. 
Who feeds and saturates his soul with love, 
He from his small particular orbit flies 
With bless'd outstarting ! From himself he flies, 
Stands in the sun, and with no partial gaze 
Views all creation : and he loves it all, 
And blesses it, and calls it very good ! 

Coleridge. 

The year 1817, while it was distinguished in 
the religious annals of America for the extraor- 
dinary working of the Holy Spirit throughout 
the churches, was a year of great heart-search- 
ing and anxiety for souls on the part of Captain 
Congar. He seems to have been exercised 
with very affecting views of the sinfulness of 
sin, and the holiness of God, and the fearful 
liability of the soul in a state of condemnation. 
The burden of souls often lay like a mountain 
of iron upon his own breast. His anxiety for 
the salvation of his wife, who was not one with 



ANXIETIES FOR SOULS AT SEA. 157 

him in the hopes, and joys, and desires of the 
Christian, was, as it will appear in this chapter, 
deep and absorbing, while it was altogether so- 
ber and rational, and set him upon the use of 
proper means of grace and awakening. 

On the twenty-fifth of April we find the 
following entry in his journal, being at sea : 
" This day my soul is full of heaviness, my 
heart within me is desolate. If this be the 
fruit of sin in this life, oh how dreadful to lay 
under the weight of God's wrath through an 
endless eternity ! and yet it would be just for 
me to be dealt with in this awful manner. If 
I be saved, what a monument of mercy ! what 
a miracle of grace ! How often has the lan- 
guage of my heart been, in its pride, such as 
this, ' That I am rich, and increased in goods, 
and have need of nothing ; and knew not that 
I was wretched, and miserable, and poor, and 
blind, and naked. 5 But the glorious Redeem- 
er," says he, " ' stands at the door and knocks ; 
and if any man hear his voice and open the 
door, he will come in to him, and sup with him, 
and he shall sup with me.' Oh ! may my heart 
be opened to receive the heavenly guest, and 
may he abide with me, and may I abide in 
him. But ah ! the deceitfulness of the human 
heart ; I only know that I am anxiously seek- 



158 CAPTAIN OBADIAfl CONGAR. 

ing to be delivered from the burden of sin. But 
here again I am encouraged ; the blessed Savior 
says, i The whole need not a physician, but they 
that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, 
but sinners to repentance.' " 

Here follow a course of letters to Mrs. Con- 
gar, written on ship-board, when travailing with 
desire for her soul. 

" At sea, March 25th, 1817. 

" My dear Wife, — The emotions of my 
heart, excited by our late parting, under circum- 
stances somewhat afflicting, have caused deep 
anxiety in my soul for your present and future 
welfare. Were I to strive, I could not erase 
from my mind those solemn scenes which I 
have witnessed within a few months past. You 
have indeed been an afflicted woman for a 
course of years, but, in some instances of late, 
your distress appeared next to insupportable. 
You seemed like one in a perfect agony ; your 
expressions of horror, your cries for mercy, the 
convulsions of your body, rent my very soul, 
while I endeavored to supplicate the throne of 
grace in your behalf. 

" And now, O my dear wife, how can I prove 
a sincere regard for your good better than by 
entreating you earnestly to consider w T hat you 
should do ? You have seen how easy it would 



AFFECTING PERSUASIVES TO PIETY. 159 

be for the Lord to cut you off. You have had 
numberless instances of frailty, and must we 
not allow that sin is the procuring cause of all 
our sufferings? You may, indeed, live many 
years, but it can not be looked for according to 
the course of things. Your constitution and 
health are so far impaired, and you are subject 
to such violent and complicated disorders, that 
it often appears to me like a miracle that you 
have survived such dreadful shocks, and yet 
live. I beseech you, therefore, no longer delay 
the great concerns of your immortal soul. 

" You have been deeply afflicted about your 
situation in the time of your distress. Your 
language was such as the following : ^ If I was 
prepared to die, I should not wish to live one 
moment; but oh! I am not prepared to die. 
Father of mercies, Father of mercies, spare 
me ; have mercy on me ! O that I was pre- 
pared to die. (Addressing yourself to me), Can 
you do nothing for me ? I must die ; • and such 
like. 

" You know that something is necessary to 
be done to fit you to die ; but you do not know 
how long space of repentance will be granted. 
The Lord Jesus is willing and able to save any 
sinner who will come to him with a broken 
heart. If you find your heart is hard and un- 



160 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

humbled, beg of him to give you a new heart, 
and to not leave you to yourself and the tempt- 
ations of Satan. We do need his blood to 
cleanse us from all our sins. If you die in 
your sins, where he is you can not come. And 
oh ! what mortal on this side eternity can con- 
ceive how dreadful it will be to possess a heart 
at enmity with God and all holy beings for- 
ever, and to be a companion of devils and wick- 
ed spirits. If we could not endure the society 
of some disagreeable character a day or an hour, 
how could we endure to be shut up to all eter- 
nity with those we hate, and where there is 
nothing but weeping, and wailing, and gnash- 
ing of teeth ? 

" But I forbear. You are highly favored with 
the means of grace, and you have many pious 
friends with whom you may converse. Al- 
though I have been sadly negligent in the 
things of religion, yet I firmly believe nothing 
else can afford true happiness here, or secure our 
peace with God beyond the grave. I am now r 
going three thousand miles from you. We can 
not fathom the dispensations of Providence. 
Whether we shall be permitted to see each oth- 
er's face in the land of the living is to us un- 
known. I beg you, then, not to take offense at 
what I have hinted, but accept it as a token of 



MOVING PLEAS AND EXPOSTULATIONS. 161 

my affectionate regard for your peace and hap- 
piness. I feel much for you. I endeavor to 
pray for you. May the Lord grant you mercy, 
for his name's sake." 

" Thursday, March 27 th. 

" My dear Wife, — What can I do better 
than write you, who, though absent in body, yet 
are present in mind ? I am sensible of your 
case. It calls for compassion. You have read 
the lives of martyrs. You see how triumphant- 
ly they left this vain world. The sting of death 
was taken away. They had no fears beyond 
the grave. They even longed to depart when 
they knew that they were to be thrown to the 
wild beasts. The grace of the Lord Jesus made 
them what they were ; and he is as ready now 
to give his grace to any who will seek it with 
humility, as in those days of martyrdom. 

" We need this divine principle. The whole 
soul must be renovated. The heart must be 
purified by faith. We must have a relish for 
heavenly things. And we need not, like Dives, 
desire that one might be sent from the dead to 
show to us the realities of the invisible world. 
We have better testimony in the Bible than any 
mere man could give. In that precious volume, 
while sinners are warned against the danger of 
perishing through obstinate unbelief, they are 
L 



162 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

encouraged to apply for mercy through the great 
Redeemer's blood. 

"Oh! let not Satan tempt you to despond- 
ency. It is one of his devices to ruin souls. 
Desponding melanoholy will never save us, 
though we should indulge it to all eternity. 
We want no other evidence than the Bible af- 
fords that the Lord is gracious, willing, and able 
to save, even those who have sinned against him 
until the eleventh hour. Such is the grace of 
the Gospel that none need despair. The bless- 
ed Savior has a compassionate heart. It was 
this that moved him to die for sinners, and he 
has not promised more than he will perform. 
He says, i Come unto me, all ye that are weary 
and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 5 

" But oh ! how hard is it to humble ourselves 
before God. How long will the rebellious tem- 
per of fallen man refuse to submit ? May we 
remember that we can not contend against an 
Almighty arm and prosper. We shall be con- 
strained to submit willingly, and be happy, or 
unwillingly, and be miserable. 

" Now is the time he bends his ear, 
And waits for your request ; 
Come, lest he rouse his wrath, and swear 
You shall not see my rest. 



CLAIMS OF RELIGION TO INSTANT REGARD. 163 

" Thursday, April 3d. 

u My dear Wife, — From the fullness of my 
heart I write. I tremble to think of the solemn 
circumstances in which we are. I beseech you, 
let not the long-suffering and patience of God 
induce you to put far off eternal things. You 
know that for several years I have been a pro- 
fessor of religion. You have seen me in great 
distress of mind, and, again, you have witness- 
ed my joy, as I then trusted in God my Savior. 
But oh ! my sins have separated between God 
and my soul, and I often fear I have been de- 
ceiving myself. We have now lived in the mar- 
riage relation more than twenty years. Alas ! 
how little have we done for each other's ever- 
lasting welfare. As we are united in the bonds 
of matrimony, we ought to have been united 
in serving God. We are in a world of sin and 
temptation. We need each other's counsel, we 
need each other's prayers. 

" I hope and pray these lines may find you 
in health. If so, be not flattered thereby. 
Health is precarious. Improve it to prepare 
for a time of affliction, and to prepare for death. 
We can not live without the favor of God. We 
can only look for this by deep and humble re- 
pentance for all our sins, and an unfeigned faith 
in the blessed Redeemer. It is matter of ever- 



164 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

lasting praise that the great Jehovah should 
condescend to invite such rebellious creatures 
to return to him. Rather might he not justly 
have left us to perish without hope? Why, 
then, should we slight such love and grace ? 

" Every thing has been done that was neces- 
sary to open a way for God to be propitious to 
our fallen race. What can we promise our- 
selves from sin or the world? Have we not 
seen enough to satisfy us that we must not look 
here for true enjoyment? Were our hearts 
right with God, we should take a sacred, pleas- 
ure in contemplating his divine glories and per- 
fections. His commandments would not be 
burdensome and grievous. The angels in heav- 
en take a sacred pleasure in serving their Cre- 
ator, and ought not we of the footstool to esteem 
it our highest privilege to be thus employed ? 

" But ah ! we have a body of sin and death. 
This must be mortified ; our corrupt passions 
be regulated, our wills subdued, and our whole 
souls transformed into the image of God. We 
must be born again. 

" Oh ! then, let us give ourselves no rest or 
peace until we can entertain some rational hope 
that our sins are pardoned, and our names writ- 
ten in the Lamb's book of life. 



AFFECTING CONSIDERATIONS ENFORCED. 165 
"Sunday, April 13th. 

" My dear Wife, — Though ignorant of what 
has befallen you since we parted, I still hope, by 
this time, you are returned safe to the bosom 
of your connections and friends. If so, reflect 
on the goodness and mercy of God in sparing 
your life, preserving you from the perils of the 
deep, succoring you under your sore afflictions, 
and restoring you to the society of your dear 
friends once more. And while your soul is fill- 
ed with gratitude for these temporal mercies, 
oh ! ponder with humble admiration on the 
greatness of that grace which moved the coun- 
sels of eternal wisdom to provide a ransom for 
sinners. 

" You are in a place highly favored with the 
blessings of the Gospel, and this is a day of the 
Lord's merciful visitation. He is, no doubt, 
calling many who have long been the subjects 
of Satan into his kingdom ! Oh ! let us fear, 
lest a promise being left us of entering into his 
rest, we should come short of it. Consider that 
by nature we have evil hearts of unbelief, prone 
to depart from the living God, and that we can 
not return to him by our own strength. 

" Time is precious, and our souls are of in- 
finite value. What if our whole lives had been 
spent in the service of our Maker, we should 



166 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

have done but our duty, and we should have 
suffered no loss, for wisdom's ways are ways of 
pleasantness. The yoke of Christ is easier to 
bear than the yoke of Satan. Satan is a hard 
master. He oppresses and destroys his sub- 
jects ; but Christ protects, supports, and com- 
forts them which belong to his kingdom, and will 
finally conduct them to never-ending felicity. 

" But, alas for me ! how often have I will- 
ingly subjected myself to the service of Satan. 
"Why was I seduced by the great deceiver ? I 
lament my follies past, and I would mourn 
over them ; but I must remember that my re- 
pentance can not make amends. I never can 
pay the debt which I have contracted. If Christ 
be my surety and pay the debt, I shall have a 
discharge ; my sins and iniquities will be re- 
membered no more against me ; if otherwise, I 
must pay the debt by everlasting torments. 
May the mercy of God be extended, that I may 
not come into this condemnation ! 

" My dear Mary, — I often feel deeply distress- 
ed in my mind lest I should never be permitted 
to see your face again in the land of the living. 
I have been so unfaithful, have done so little 
for your everlasting interest, and in many in- 
stances, I fear, have done much to prejudice 
your mind against religion. Have I lived only 



LOVE EXPRESSED AND SIN BEWAILED. 167 

to harden you in sin ? We have traveled to- 
gether many leagues over the boundless ocean, 
and have seen much of the wonders of God in 
the deep. Why have we not been excited 
thereby to strive more to serve God and seek 
each other's happiness ? In the light of eterni- 
ty we shall discover things very different from 
what we now do. Oh, I beseech you, recollect 
the scenes we have passed through, reflect upon 
the goodness of God, and seek first of all his 
kingdom and righteousness, and all other things 
shall be added unto you. 

" Friday, April 18th. 

"My dear Wife, — Oh, how shall sinners 
stand at the bar of God to answer for the deeds 
done in the body ? [ If our hearts condemn us, 
God is greater than our hearts, and knoweth all 
things.' How little do we know of ourselves, 
except the Spirit of truth open our eyes to see 
the extent of the Divine command, and to see 
what a holy Being we have to do with. If we 
were called to an account for our neglects of 
duty to each other and to our fellow-creatures, 
what could we answer ? Alas ! how numberless 
have been our failures ; how little true benevo- 
lence to man ; how infinite our shortcomings to 
God. 

" I deeply bewail my want of charity to you, 



168 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CON-GAR. 

and the many instances of my conduct which, 
I fear, have been a stumbling-block to you and 
others. But let us leave the things that are 
behind, and press toward the mark for the 
prize of the high calling of God in Christ Je- 
sus. I have written to you briefly and but in 
part of my thoughts concerning you. Your 
sore afflictions have excited my tenderest sym- 
pathy. Could I now be certain you are once 
more returned to the bosom of your friends, per- 
haps my anxieties would in some degree abate ; 
but still you would be in the hands of a just 
God, who marks all our ways, and whose long- 
suffering will not always bear with our sins. 
Oh, then, return to him and make your peace, 
and thereby good shall come unto thee. 

" What an invaluable treasure is the volume 
of inspiration. The whole tenor of its language 
is, ' Let the wicked forsake his way, and the 
unrighteous man his thoughts ; and let him re- 
turn unto the Lord, and he will have mercy 
upon him, and to our God, for he will abund- 
antly pardon.' I was particularly struck with 
the condescending and gracious manner in which 
sinners are invited to return to their offended 
Sovereign by the Prophet Jeremiah, in the third 
chapter and first verse : < They say if a man put 
away his wife, and she go from him and become 



THE WAYS OF GOD AND THOSE OF MAN. 169 

another man's, shall he return unto her again ? 
Shall not that land be greatly polluted ? But 
thou hast played the harlot with many lovers ; 
yet return again to me, saith the Lord.' 

" And, moreover, he expostulates with us in 
the most kind and endearing language : ' Oh, 
my people, what have I done unto thee ? and 
wherein have I wearied thee ? Testify against 
me.' 

" "Why are such methods used to bring rebel- 
lious sinners back to God? Why should we 
be treated thus? We can only say because 
the Lord's ways are higher than our ways, as 
the heavens are above the earth. Methinks I 
never before had such solemn reflections on the 
importance of the marriage relation with refer- 
ence to eternity as I now have. How seldom 
do we consider that our conduct toward each 
other will be the means of promoting our ever- 
lasting felicity or enhancing our never-ending 
woe. We too often live as though we were to 
have no existence beyond the grave. Is it not 
to be feared that many a day has passed since 
our connection without ever once entertaining 
a single thought about each other's salvation ? 
How seldom do we consider the importance of 
example. Alas ! how much idle conversation. 
May the Lord forgive, and, if we be spared to 



170 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

meet again, enable us to act more consistently 
with our mutual engagements, and with the 
duties which we owe to our great Creator. 

" How different has been our conduct to each 
other from what is enjoined by the apostle to 
the Ephesians, 5th chapter, from the 21st verse 
to the end, and in the 3d chapter, first epistle 
of Peter, from the beginning to the 9th verse. 
Have we not too much reason to lament deeply 
our want of meekness, and kindness, and long- 
suffering, and charity ? But oh, where will the 
catalogue of failures in duty end ? We must 
look to Sovereign grace to pardon and wash 
away all our faults in the atoning blood of the 
great Redeemer." 

His benevolent care for and sympathy with 
his passengers appear frequently on his return 
voyage from Hull with a complement of fifty ; 
and they place the prudent and religious ship- 
master in an attractive light, and worthy of im- 
itation. Near the close of the passage there is 
an entry to this effect: " Getting near the land, 
as we supposed, one of the passengers, a lad 
named Thomas Jackson, thirteen years of age, 
went up into the main-top, with a view to look 
for land, and shortly after fell from thence on 
deck, and instantly expired. This was an af- 
fecting stroke to his aged parents, as he was the 



DEATH AT SEA REVIVAL ASHORE. 171 

only child they had with them, and on whose 
account principally they had left their native 
land. It pierced my own heart, and I deeply 
mourned for them. But God only could bind 
up the broken heart." 

Arrived safely in port, and returning to New- 
ark, he had the pleasure to hear that a very ex- 
tensive revival of religion had taken place dur- 
ing his absence, so that upward of two hund- 
red and fifty had been added to the different 
churches in that place ; and there were still 
new cases of awakenings. He prayed with 
fervor, " May this glorious work continue and 
spread until the kingdoms and nations of this 
world shall become the kingdoms and nations 
of our Lord and of his Christ." 

We now turn a leaf in Captain Congar's his- 
tory that will be perused with no ordinary in- 
terest and profit by all conscientious Sabbath- 
keeping mariners. It opens thus on a voyage 
to Liverpool, undertaken immediately after his 
last arrival from Hull : 

" Sabbath day, the 7th of September. Last 
evening the weather had been blowing hard, 
which obliged us to shorten sail ; and as I felt 
conscientious about making all the sail we could 
on the Lord's day, the passengers were not a 
little dissatisfied, which they expressed to me. 



172 CAPTAIN OBADTAH CONGAR. 

I stated to them my reasons for not making the 
same exertions on the Sabbath days as at other 
times, but they were no better reconciled. 

" Feeling myself at a loss how to act, I en- 
deavored to make my case the subject of prayer ; 
but, not seeing my way entirely clear, I wrote 
the following letter to an eminent divine in En- 
gland, intending to forward it on our arrival at 
Liverpool, being desirous to have the senti- 
ments of one on the subject whom I considered 
very correct in his expositions of the Scriptures. 

" Reverend and dear Sir,- — Although I have 
not the pleasure of being personally acquainted 
with you, yet, from the high character you sus- 
tain in America as an expositor of the sacred 
Scriptures, and particularly with myself, I have 
taken the liberty to write you, requesting your 
opinion on a subject which has long occupied 
my mind, and which has more than once in- 
volved me in some difficulty with my fellow- 
creatures. I beg leave to inform you, sir, that 
I am master of an American vessel ; that I have 
been a professor of religion a number of years ; 
and that, since I was first brought to see, in a 
measure, the extent of the Divine requirements 
as contained in the ten commandments, I have 
had many scruples as to the consistency of ei- 



SCRUPLES ON MAKING SAIL SUNDAY. 173 

ther engaging myself, or of employing those un- 
der my care, in the common transactions of sail- 
ing a ship on the Sabbath day. 

"I will endeavor to explain my views. I 
consider the command to keep the Sabbath day 
holy binding on all men, as well at sea as on 
land ; that it is as necessary one day in seven 
should be distinguished as a day of religious 
worship on the deep as on shore, and that this 
ought always be attended to whenever the 
weather and other circumstances will permit. 
I suppose it right to employ our hands in what- 
ever is necessary for the safety of the ship ; and, 
further, that we may so trim our sails, when a 
change of wind takes place, as to keep the ship 
as near her destined course as possible. But I 
do not consider it proper to make the same ex- 
ertions, by spreading all the canvas possible, to 
get the ship on her way, which would not only 
be proper on other days, but absolutely a duty. 
Some are of opinion that it is right to make the 
best of a favorable wind when it comes, as well 
on the Sabbath as on any other day. I can not 
acknowledge the justness of this principle. I 
consider, also, the practice of going to sea on 
the Sabbath a breach of the Divine command, 
and I have had some disputes with my employ- 
er on the subject. 



174 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

" For several years past I have been in the 
habit of calling my crew together on the Lord's 
day to attend religious duties, which I esteem 
a great privilege. Every kind of unnecessary 
work, therefore, must break in upon a regular 
attendance on those duties, and so far do away 
any impressions which might be excited by at- 
tending to the things of religion. I feel deeply 
sensible I ought to possess a clear judgment of 
what is duty and what is not, in order that I 
may not, through conformity to the world or 
ignorance of the commands of God, habitually 
and knowingly transgress ; or lest I should be 
more rigid in this respect than the Scriptures 
enjoin, and thereby become chargeable with be- 
ing righteous over much, and instead of rec- 
ommending the religion of the Bible to others, 
should be the means of prejudicing their minds 
against it. 

" The particular circumstances which gave 
rise to this letter were the following: On our 
late passage from New York to this port, it so 
fell out that we had blowing weather three suc- 
cessive Saturdays, which obliged us to shorten 
sail; and, as I before observed, I felt conscien- 
tious in not ordering more sail to be set on Sab- 
bath morning, which might have been done, 
and which we should have done on any other 



CASES OF CONSCIENCE STATED. 175 

day of the week. We had on board three gen- 
tlemen passengers, who had noticed that we did 
not use the same efforts to get along on our 
way Sabbath days as at other times, and wish- 
ed to know what I meant ; remarking that they 
were anxious to get to our destined port, and 
would not submit to such treatment. 

"I explained to them my views in the best 
manner I was capable, but they were no better 
satisfied ; observing that, whatever religious 
customs I might see fit to introduce in the ship, 
I ought not to let these things interfere with 
any exertions to make the best of our way ; 
that it was altogether an uncommon circum- 
stance ; and that, had they been acquainted be- 
forehand with my practice in this respect, they 
would not have taken passage with us. 

" I did not immediately comply with their 
wishes ; but, about noon, the wind was favora- 
ble, and fine weather, and discovering one of 
the passengers in a great passion, I thought it 
best to order more sail to be set. We did not, 
indeed, set all sail possible ; but my heart smote 
me, and my conscience is hurt. I have offend- 
ed them, and, I have reason to fear, offended 
my Almighty judge. One of the gentlemen ob- 
served to me that, if I considered work done on 
board the ship as a breach of the Sabbath, to 



176 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

be consistent, I ought to have all the sails furl- 
ed on Saturday, and lay by until Monday morn- 
ing ; and, indeed, that if I would keep it strict- 
ly, I must not follow the water business at all. 

" You will perceive, sir, how difficult I must 
find it to preserve good order in the ship, as re- 
spects the due observance of the Sabbath, and 
yet give no offense to worldly men ; for all men 
have not faith. And how necessary it is that 
I should be fully persuaded what is duty in my 
situation, and what is not. There is now a 
gentleman in the Established Church who was 
formerly a lieutenant in the royal navy. As 
he has long been conversant with the sea, and 
as I consider him a truly pious man, I should 
be glad to consult his opinion on this subject 
were I acquainted with him. He is the author 
of a little work entitled the Retrospect (a work 
which I have read with much pleasure) ; and 
as I have no doubt, reverend sir, you are ac- 
quainted with his name, I should be glad you 
would favor me with it, and also where he re- 
sides. I feel a great esteem for him. Would 
to God I had the same faith, and the same bold- 
ness in the cause of Christ, which he manifest- 
ed while in the navy ! 

" And now, dear sir, my case is before you, 
and if you have leisure to make some reflections 



OPINION AND ADVICE SOLICITED. 177 

upon it, and will do me the favor to drop me a 
few lines by post, I shall feel greatly indebted 
to you ; and though I may never have the pleas- 
ure to meet with you on this side eternity, yet 
my hope is that we shall meet where seas and 
continents will no longer separate those who 
belong to the fold of Christ. 

" I remain, reverend and dear sir, with Chris- 
tian affection, yours, 

"Obadiah Congar. 

"Rev. Thos. Scott, > 

" Aston Sandford, Bucks county." 5 

The above letter was forwarded from Liver- 
pool, and the following answer was received in 
due course of mail : 

" Aston Sandford, October 5th, 1817. 

" Dear Sir, — For your very interesting let- 
ter induces me thus to address you, though 
otherwise unknown — you have brought before 
me a subject which, consulted as I have been 
in cases of conscience during many years, nev- 
er before called for my attention, or, indeed, 
occupied my mind, so that in this respect I am 
very incompetent to give counsel. I never was 
at sea, except in the Margate packet to and 
from London ; and never was on board one on 
the Lord's day, so had no idea in what way the 
sacred rest might or might not be observed in 
M 



178 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

the management of the vessel. I have been 
acquainted with pious men who had been com- 
manders of vessels (especially the Rev. Mr. 
Newton), yet I do not remember to have heard 
from any of them one word on the subject of 
your letter. 

" Israel was not a seafaring nation, and the 
case which you state does not appear to be at 
all alluded to in any regulations of the Mosaic 
law ; and the sailing of the apostles or others, 
as to long voyages in the New Testament, was 
generally, if not always, in vessels belonging 
to the heathen, so that all we can conclude on 
the subject must be by analogy, and the case 
resembling or not resembling others concerning 
which regulations are made or examples re- 
corded ; and this shows that there are cases of 
this kind, in which things are duties, for which 
chapter and verse can not verbatim be quoted, 
or sins which are nowhere in so many words 
forbidden. 

u Arguing, then, from Scriptural principles 
by analogy, I should first conclude that, by sea 
as well as land, works of real necessity, of char- 
ity, of piety, were no violation of the sacred 
rest, and thus that every thing was lawful 
which the safety, or health, or important good, 
or relief of the persons on board required ; this 



WORKS OF NECESSITY AND MERCY. 179 

the Lord of the Sabbath, in the New Testa- 
ment, has fully shown. I should also argue 
that many things are necessary to those under 
authority which they can not decline, though 
not so in themselves, as in the case of slaves in 
the apostles' days in heathen families ; to slaves 
in our West Indies ; not to say to servants in 
many families of Christians, in this land at 
least. 

" In these cases it must often be unavoidable 
to do as necessary to them what is not neces- 
sary in itself. Your situation as master of the 
vessel in great measure exempts you and your 
seamen also from this ; but whether regard to 
the will of your employer (who yet is probably 
as conceding as most are) may or may not, in 
some degree, require what otherwise might well 
be avoided, I must leave you to determine, as 
well as how far it is practicable or proper for 
passengers to be made acquainted with your 
plan in this respect; for if the result be any 
considerable delay, it will certainly be consid- 
ered by eager, worldly men as ill usage, and 
assume in their view the appearance of evil. 

" With these previous limitations or cautions, 
I must, as far as I can judge, reasoning by anal- 
ogy from Scripture, consider your main princi- 
ple as well grounded, and your adopting it a 



180 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

proof of a sound judgment, as well as strict con- 
scientiousness. Supposing that the Saturday, 
and, indeed, all the preceding week, in harvest 
very unfavorable, and the Lord's day favorable 
to gathering in the precious grain, though we 
do not know but the Monday may again be 
unfavorable, yet sound theologians and consci- 
entious Christians do not think it allowable to 
violate the sacred rest, and employ the day in 
harvest work, but to rest on the Sabbath ac- 
cording to the commandment, and trust the 
Lord as to the future in so doing. Yet in some 
great emergencies, as, for instance, a bank 
breaking, and the prospect of an inundation 
destroying the crop, the necessity might justify 
an exception in their conduct. 

"Thus, then, at sea, whatever relates to the 
safety of the vessel, &c, must be attended to, 
as we deem it lawful to fodder our cattle and 
milk our kine, &c. Emergencies may justify 
what is somewhat further in several cases, but 
the main principle seems stable. After even 
an unfavorable week, the whole advantage of a 
fair wind must not be taken, if it greatly inter- 
fere with the main duties of the sacred rest, 
but God must be trusted in the path of duty. 
Yet, perhaps, any thing in altering the sails, so 
as to forward the voyage, with not more labor 



THE DIVINE ENDORSING THE CAPTAIN. 181 

than tending the cattle, &c, on land requires, 
and which can consist with the public and pri- 
vate duties of the day, may be allowable ; and 
it is not desirable to appear stiffly unaccommo- 
dating. 

" Setting sail on the Lord's day, when it can 
possibly be avoided, seems altogether wrong, 
and decidedly to be resisted. In all things we 
ought to give up our own will to please others 
for their good, but never give up the Lord's will. 
Afraid of venturing too far on untrodden ground, 
I have suggested all the limitations I can rec- 
ollect. As to the main principle, I can not 
doubt but in that you are right ; yet I fear you 
should push it too far, and not only be tender 
in conscience, but uncomfortably scrupulous. 
May the Lord give you wisdom, and render 
your example useful to others in your station. 

" I am sincerely your friend and servant, 

"Thos. Scott. 

" Mr. Obadiah Congar." 



182 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 



Chapter IX. 

DESPONDENCY CONFESSED, CORRECTED, AND CURED. 

Thy heart is sad, and deeply thou complain'st 
That dull and wandering thy affections prove j 
That, lingering far, so often thou remain'st 
Apart from Him who claims thy highest love. 
Oh, meditate Him more, and the world less : 
At morn, and pensive eve, give Him thy thought, 
Recall how He hath saved thee, and doth bless 
With that redemption, which his life-blood bought : 
Then deeply think, till thou hast deeply felt ; 
When thought is busy, love is busy too. 
Oh think, until thy stony heart doth melt, 
Of all thy Savior did, and yet will do ; 
How he hath condescended, suffered, died, 
And, even now, doth clasp thee to his bleeding side. 

T. C. Upham. 

"We pass without notice more than two years 
of the varied sea and shore life of Captain Con- 
gar, during which, although there is no evidence 
of grievous departure from God, religious de- 
spondency again stole over him, owing, in part, 
to a domestic infelicity arising from a want of 
correspondence of views and feelings on the sub- 
ject of religion. From August, 1819, onward, 
there are frequent entries of spiritual exercises 
and prayers like the following, entitled. 



PENITENTIAL CONFESSIONS AND PRAYERS. 183 

" A Prayer for Mercy and Peace with God. 

" O God of infinite mercy, who hast said, 
1 Thou wiliest not the death of a sinner, but 
rather that he turn from his ways and live ;' 
and, that backsliders might not be left to de- 
spair, hast said, ' Go and proclaim these words 
toward the north, and say, Return, thou back- 
sliding Israel, saith the Lord, and I will not 
cause mine anger to fall upon you ; for I am 
merciful, saith the Lord, and I will not keep 
anger forever. Only acknowledge the iniquity 
that thou hast transgressed against the Lord 
thy God.' Now, O Lord, I confess that I am 
indeed the chief of sinners, and not worthy to 
lift up my sinful eyes toward thy holy habita- 
tion. Yet, O Lord, I deprecate thy wrath ; I 
fear thy frowns ; I mourn the hidings of thy 
face ; I am oppressed with anxious forebodings 
that I shall at last perish from thy presence. 
Thou, O Lord, seest me filled with melancholy 
and disconsolate thoughts, and that I spend 
much of my time in a wretched uncertainty 
what will be my future destiny. 

" I acknowledge, O God, that my sins have 
hid thy face from me. ' I was shapen in iniq- 
uity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. 5 I 
confess that, soon as I became capable of moral 



184 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

action, I commenced my sinful career, and as I 
grew in years I grew in vice. Justly may it be 
said of me that I drank in iniquity like water. 
I acknowledge that I have sinned against the 
pious instructions of a tender and affectionate 
parent, against the admonitions and convictions 
of my own conscience, the strivings of thy Holy 
Spirit, and my most solemn vows and engage- 
ments. I have sinned secretly and presump- 
tuously, in thought, word, and deed. I have 
sinned against mercies and against judgments. 
" I confess, O Lord, I have been very rebel- 
lious and stiff-necked since the day I was born, 
that I have walked contrary to thy holy com- 
mands, to the dictates of reason, and to my 
own true interests. I confess that I justly de- 
serve all the distress of mind and all the fears 
and doubts with which I am afflicted; for too 
often hast thou called and I refused. Thou 
hast stretched out thy hand, but I would not 
regard. Thou mightest now disregard my cry 
and mock at my fear. O Lord, while I make 
this mortifying confession, I would mourn that 
I have sinned against thee, O enable me to re- 
pent in dust and ashes. O may this confession 
produce in my mind an abiding sense of the evil 
of sin, especially as committed against God, and 
may I now return to my offended God and Sav- 



THE CONTRITE HEART PANTING AFTER CHRIST. 185 

ior, and say, Take away all mine iniquity, and 
receive me graciously, and do thou heal my 
backslidings, and love me freely. 

" Mercifully sanctify to me the present af- 
flicting state of my mind. O teach me humil- 
ity and patience, that I may say I will bear the 
indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned 
against him. Let me never trust in my own 
righteousness and strength ; but may I look to 
Jesus alone, who is able to save unto the utter- 
most. O may I possess unfeigned faith in his 
blood and righteousness. O divine and heavenly 
advocate, intercede for me that my faith fail not. 
O Lord, I beseech thee, have mercy on me, and 
pardon the numerous transgressions of my life, 
and restore to me thy favor, which is life, and 
cause me to walk in the light of thy countenance. 
Suffer not Satan to tempt me above what I am 
able to bear. Hear me for the sake of my only 
high priest and intercessor ; and to God the 
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost be endless praises, 
Amen." 

Thou Man of griefs, remember me, 

Who never canst thyself forget, 
Thy last mysterious agony, 

Thy fainting pangs and bloody sweat. 
When, wrestling in the strength of prayer, 

Thy spirit sunk beneath its load ! 
Thy feeble flesh abhorr'd to bear 

The wrath of an almighty God ! 



186 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

Father, if I may call thee so, 

Regard my feeble heart's desire ; 
Remove this load of guilty woe, 

Nor let me in my sins expire 
I tremble lest the wrath divine, 

Which bruises now my sinful soul, 
Should bruise this wretched soul of mine 

Long as eternal ages roll ! 
To thee my last distress I bring; 

The heighten'd fear of death I find [ 
The tyrant, with his direful sting, 

Appears, and hell is close behind ! 
I deprecate that death alone, 

That endless banishment from thee ! 
O save, and give me to thy Son, 

Who trembled, wept, and bled for me ! 

" Throughout this day I have been greatly 
depressed in spirit, under the apprehension of 
apostasy from God. We read of the sins of 
Noah, David, Manasseh, Peter, and Paul, who 
called himself the chief of sinners ; but my 
sins swell beyond all these. Can there be hope 
in my case ? Yes ; a glimmering ray appears 
through the dark clouds of despairing thoughts 
which hover over my benighted soul. I hope 
that the Lord, though greatly offended by my 
wanderings and backslidings, yet has not totally 
given me up to impenitency and judicial blind- 
ness ; I hope the Spirit of grace is not only 
showing me that my sins have exceeded, but is 
bringing me to remember my own evil ways, 



BACKSLIDING BEWAILED AND DEPRECATED. 187 

and my doings that were not good, that I might 
loathe myself in my own sight for my iniquities 
and for my abominations ; I feel that it would 
be just if God should seal my everlasting de- 
struction, and swear, in his wrath, I shall never 
enter into his rest. Yet I am a monument of 
his long-suffering and patience ; therefore will I 
hope in his mercy, and renew my supplications 
to the throne of grace, that I may be healed of 
my backslidings, and my soul restored to the 
image of God, and that I may once more walk 
in the light of his countenance. 

" A Prayer for the Pardon of Sin and Re- 
storing Grace. 

" O Lord, I beseech thee, look from thy holy 
habitation in mercy upon thy sinful and pollut- 
ed creature, who, although beset with fears and 
doubts, and a deep sense of guilt, would venture 
to plead with thee, in the name of Jesus, my 
only hope, that my sins and iniquities may be 
blotted out from the book of thy remembrance ; 
that I may be healed of all my backslidings ; 
that my sinful soul may be cleansed in that pre- 
cious blood which cleanseth from all sin ; and 
that the Lord would be pleased to grant me new 
discoveries of the glories and worthiness of the 
Divine Redeemer, and his ability to save. 



188 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

"Dear Savior, thou knowest the strength of 
my corruption ; thou knowest the deceitfulness 
of my heart; thou knowest the subtlety and 
power of Satan. O deliver me from my sins 
and from my fears, and endue me with thy free 
grace, that I may renounce every beloved idol, 
and give my heart unto thee. O keep me by 
thy mighty power through faith unto salvation, 
and the praise shall be ascribed to the ever- 
blessed God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, 
world without end. Amen. 

" August 24th, 1819, on the way to Oporto. 
We are surrounded with a multitude of fish 
which sailors call boneto. They are busily em- 
ployed catching flying-fish, flocks of which are 
seen flying every few minutes to escape the 
jaws of the boneto ; but, as they can not fly 
more than two or three hundred yards at a 
time, the dolphin and boneto keep so near un- 
der them, that as soon as they light in the wa- 
ter they become a prey. The Psalmist says, 
' These all wait upon thee, that thou mayest 
give them their meat in due season ; that thou 
givest them they gather ; thou openest thine 
hand, they are filled with good.' This kind of 
fish are rather scarce on the ocean, and in gen- 
eral are difficult to take ; yet, extraordinary as 
it is, they have followed the ship more than 



EVENTS, ETC., OF A VOYAGE TO OPORTO. 189 

three weeks, and we find no difficulty in taking 
them at any time. They are not generally held 
to be very palatable, notwithstanding they make 
a pretty good mess, by way of a change. 

" The sea is smooth, the sky serene, and gen- 
tle breezes are wafting our ship along the briny 
way in stately magnificence, with all her can- 
vas spread. Our crew are all in good health. 
The principal part of our little company attend 
religious worship morning and evening, and in 
a very becoming manner, and I hope to some 
profit. I have myself enjoyed a great share of 
health, this voyage, and we have had a large 
proportion of fine, comfortable weather. 

" But, with all these favors, there is one thing 
to remind me that this is not the place of my 
rest. The enjoyment of His presence who has 
created all these things is wanted. This day, 
indeed, I trust the Lord has condescended to 
speak in some degree comfortably to my troubled 
mind. I feel a hope that the Spirit of grace has 
not utterly forsaken me. The gracious conde- 
scension of Jehovah, and his promises of mercy 
to the idolatrous and disobedient Jews, which 
we find in the sixteenth chapter of Ezekiel, 
from the sixtieth verse to the end, and again, 
from the twenty-first verse of the thirty-sixth 
chapter to the end, encourages me to hope that 



190 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

the Lord will yet be favorable to me, but not 
for my sake. Yet, though the Lord has been 
pleased to make known his purposes of mercy 
even to those who have been very rebellious for 
his own name's sake, he still says he will be in- 
quired of by the house of Israel to do those 
things for them. O may I now with a holy 
importunity beseech the Father of mercies to 
cast an eye of pity toward his helpless creature, 
and may my cries, sprinkled with the atoning 
blood of Jesus, reach his mercy-seat and receive 
a gracious answer. 

66 A Prayer with Thanksgiving for some Gra- 
cious Tokens of Divine Favor. 

" O Lord God ! I acknowledge that I am less 
than the least of all thy mercies. I have for- 
feited every right to thy compassions. I have 
strayed from thee like a lost sheep. I confess 
that my sins have provoked thee to withdraw 
from me thy wonted favor. Thou, O God ! hast 
justly hedged up my way, and made my paths 
crooked. Yet I thank thee, O thou God of 
mercy ! that a ray of hope is still afforded me 
under the darkness of my mind and the hidings 
of thy face. I thank thee that I am permitted 
to indulge the consoling reflection that there is 
forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be fear- 



THE SOUL FASTING AND MOURNING. 191 

ed. I pray, O Lord, that the necessities of my 
case may plead for my importunity, and that 
thou wouldst verify thy promises of faithfulness 
and truth wherein thou hast caused me to hope, 
and carry on thy begun goodness to me, O Lord, 
until I can say with thy servant of old, ' Lord, 
thou knowest all things, thou knowest I love 
thee.' Will the Lord hear my prayer and at- 
tend unto my cry for his own holy name's 
sake, and to the only wise God, Father, Son, 
and Spirit, I would render everlasting praises, 
Amen. 

" Thursday, 26th. I begin to feel more and 
more sensible that my case, as it respects my spir- 
itual condition, calls for extraordinary thought- 
fulness and solemnity, and, if there be any rem- 
edy, to apply to it with all that solicitude and 
diligence which, my peculiar situation requires. 
In looking over my journal, I find that about 
eleven years since I was much oppressed with 
doubts and fears, and that, after laboring under 
these difficulties of mind for some time, I re- 
solved to seek unto God, by fasting and prayer, 
for relief. The Lord was gracious to me, and 
delivered me from all my fears and apprehen- 
sions. Am I not, then, encouraged to look to 
Him in the same way for the removal of pres- 
ent anxieties, and that he would once more set 



192 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

my soul at liberty from the bondage of death 
and sin, and cause me to rejoice in his salvation? 

" But it is not by past experience only that I 
feel encouraged to hope and wait on the Lord 
by renewed importunity for a favorable change, 
but by the solemn exhortations and promises of 
the Lord himself; for he says, in the second 
chapter of Joel and twelfth verse, ' Therefore 
also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me 
with all your heart, and with fasting, and with 
weeping, and with mourning ; and rend your 
heart, and not your garments, and turn unto 
the Lord your God : for he is gracious and mer- 
ciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and 
repenteth him of the evil. Who knoweth if he 
will return and repent, and leave a blessing be- 
hind him ; even a meat-offering and a drink-of- 
fering, unto the Lord your God.' And again, 
in the sixth chapter of Matthew and at the sev- 
enteenth verse, our Savior teaches not only how 
to fast acceptably, but promises important bless- 
ings in answer to the performance of this duty. 

" Hoping in the mercy and faithfulness of 
God, I resolve, by the assistance of his grace, 
to seek unto him more earnestly, until he be 
pleased to appoint unto me beauty for ashes, 
the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of 
praise for the spirit of heaviness. And oh ! may 



THE SORROWING SOUL COMFORTED. 193 

I experience all this mercy for his own name's 
sake. 

" From this time onward the remainder of 
our passage, my mind was more than usually 
occupied with reflecting on the sins of my life, 
and endeavoring to humble myself before God 
on account thereof ; and I felt as though noth- 
ing could give me enjoyment unless I once 
more experienced some tokens of the Lord's 
gracious designs toward me. I did not long 
continue in that state of fearful apprehension 
that the mercy of God was clean gone, and that 
I should never again enjoy his favor ; for I be- 
gan to entertain a feeble hope that my case was 
not irrecoverable, and this hope excited me to 
plead more earnestly for the forgiveness of all 
my sins, and that through grace I might make 
a new surrender of myself unto God, to be his 
for time and eternity, resolving henceforth to 
be more watchful over my heart, and life, that 
I might not sin against God or bring a disgrace 
on religion. 

" On the twentieth of September came on a 
most violent gale of wind, which continued al- 
most incessantly for three days. The good hand 
of God was displayed in a striking manner in 
preserving us from the perils which surrounded 
us, and which threatened our safety. To Him 
N 



194 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

only who holds the winds in his fists could we 
look in the time of our trouble, and, blessed be 
his name, he not only rebuked the sea, and 
granted us moderate weather, but sent us fa- 
vorable winds, and conducted us safely into our 
desired port. On the next Sabbath I was fa- 
vored with an opportunity of going to the house 
of God, and offering up my thanksgiving, and 
paying my vows. And O, blessed be the name 
of the Most High, who hath not only restored 
me to my home and to the society of my fam- 
ily and friends, but hath granted me once more, 
I trust, some discoveries of his love and mercy 
to my soul ; hath banished, in a great degree, 
my doubts and fears, so that I am enabled to 
rejoice in the light of his countenance. I do 
feel as though this promise was verified to me, 
6 1 will cast thine iniquities into the depths of 
the sea, and remember them no more.' 

" But oh, why all this condescension to me, 
the chief of sinners ? I can only say, even so, 
Father, for so it seemeth good in thy sight. I 
would be thankful for all those Divine rebukes 
and corrections which have been the means of 
humbling me under his mighty hand ; and it is 
my prayer, if I be not deceived, that whatever 
methods the Lord may see fit to use with me, 
I might always be kept, not only humble for 



TOKENS OF DIVINE FAVOR RENEWED. ] 95 

my sins which are past, but sensible, also, of 
my entire dependence on the grace of the Lord 
Jesus to assist me in resisting sin and tempta- 
tion for the time to come." 



What may be my future lot, 
Well I know concerns me not ; 
This should set my heart at rest, 
What thy will ordains is best. 
I my all to thee resign: 
Father, let my will be thine ; 
May but all thy dealings prove 
Fruits of thy paternal love. 
Guard me, Savior, by thy power, 
Guard me in the trying hour ; 
Let thy unremitted care 
Save me from the lurking snare. 
Let my few remaining days 
Be directed to thy praise ; 
So the last, the closing scene, 
Shall be tranquil and serene. 
To thy will I leave the rest, 
Grant me but this one request : 
Both in life and death to prove 
Tokens of thy special love. 



195 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 



Chapter X. 

ABANDONMENT OF THE SEA. TRAVELS AND EX- 
PERIENCE IN THE SOUTHWEST. 

What matter whether pain or pleasures fill 
The swelling heart one little moment here ? 

From both alike how vain is every thrill, 
While an untried eternity is near ! 

Think not of rest, fond man, in life's career , 
The joys and griefs that meet thee, dash aside 

Like bubbles, and thy bark right onward steer, 
Through calm and tempest, till it cross the tide, 
Shoot into port in triumph, or serenely glide. 

Carlos Wilcox 

Being now upward of fifty years of age, and 
having acquired a patrimony sufficient, in his 
judgment, to carry him along for some years, 
Captain Congar resolved upon quitting the sea, 
and undertaking something else for a livelihood 
and employment. This, had he purchased a 
spot of ground and turned to farming, would 
have been judicious, and there is good reason 
to believe would have succeeded well, as it oftep 
does with men in his line of life. But finding 
himself and wife unable to agree as to the course 
to be pursued, and seeing their difference of 
opinion was one that could not be easily set- 



A SINGULAR RESOLUTION TAKEN. 197 

tied, and was likely, he thought, to lead to se- 
rious difficulties, he drew the conclusion that it 
would be useless for him to attempt any kind 
of business at home, and that the best way was 
to endeavor to effect some business arrange- 
ment abroad. 

In one view, after the example of the pru- 
dent man, who foreseeth the evil and hideth him- 
self, this was wise as it was bold ; but, in the 
large view of things, it would have been far bet- 
ter for him to have resumed his business on the 
deep. Having taken his resolution to banish 
himself a while from his family and friends, 

The world was all before him, where to choose 
His place of rest, and Providence his guide. 

" My great desire," he says, "was that I 
might not be banished from God's presence, 
and that wherever I might be directed to so- 
journ, I might be useful, and be prepared for 
his holy dispensations. From the time my 
thoughts were first turned to this business, I 
earnestly besought the Lord to direct me in all 
my steps, to open a way in his providence to 
follow some useful occupation, and that I might 
see the path of duty clear in all things. It was, 
indeed, an affecting thought to leave my native 
town, where I had enjoyed much in the society 
of connections and friends — where the Gospel 



198 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAK. 



was preached in its purity, and where so many 
interesting scenes had taken place — to sojourn 
I knew not whither, and perhaps never to see 
the face of those I love again in the land of the 
living. But what is this world ? What can it 
give ? Alas ! it only brings cares and anxie- 
ties, and happy is he who, delivered from its 
troubles, has reached the haven of rest above." 
On the thirteenth of November, 1820, he took 
passage to New Orleans with a small assort- 
ment of goods, and thence to Natchez, where 
he arrived on the thirteenth of December, busy- 
ing himself at all stopping-places with distrib- 
uting tracts. Landing there a stranger, he 
seems to have expected little else than troub- 
les. But, after landing his goods and getting 
them stored, he called on an old acquaintance, 
the Reverend William Woodbridge, who gave 
him much useful information relative to the 
place, and also introduced him to respectable 
friends. " From him," says the Journal, "I 
learned that the state of religion was melan- 
cholily low, that very few followers of Jesus 
were to be found, and that vice and iniquity 
greatly abounded. This was, indeed, a sad re- 
flection to me ; but it has been the subject of 
my prayers, from first to last, that I might be 
directed where to sojourn, and this would ap- 



STEPS OF A GOOD MAN DIVINELY ORDERED. 199 



pear to be the spot. I can not, indeed, calcu- 
late, should I remain here, on any thing but 
trials. But may the good hand of God pre- 
serve me from sin and temptation, and give me 
some good to do at this place. 

11 1 must not omit to notice, and I would do 
it with humble gratitude to Almighty God for 
rendering my whole journey to this place so 
comfortable and prosperous, that, had I been 
delayed only three days longer on my way, the 
consequences might have been highly disas- 
trous. My goods were landed and put in store 
on the thirteenth. On the evening of Friday, 
the fifteenth, came on a tremendous storm of 
lightning and thunder, with torrents of rain. 
So violent were the shocks of thunder, the house 
shook to the very foundation, and the windows 
rattled as though they would have fled from 
their places. I slept that night alone at Mr. 
Woodbridge's, but I never knew what it was 
to enjoy a calm and serene frame of mind in 
such an awful scene before. I laid me down 
while the earth comparatively shook under me, 
and went to sleep. The Sabbath night follow- 
ing the same scene took place, and until this 
time, Tuesday, it is still raining, and continues 
bad traveling ; consequently, had I reached here 
at this time, my goods would have been liable 



200 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

to injury and loss, and to great expense in se- 
curing them. After having made every inquiry 
and searched through the town to procure a 
store, or part of a store, I at length agreed with 
Messrs. Berthe & Co. to take their old stand, 
and to pay forty dollars a month for six months. 

" On Friday, the 22d, I commenced opening, 
and on Saturday made some good sales. Among 
the many instances of Divine goodness which I 
have been the subject of since I left home, I 
would not forget to record the gracious conde- 
scension and love of God in granting me some 
precious manifestations of his presence and fa- 
vor. He has spoken peace to my soul, and re- 
stored to me the joy of his salvation. And why 
is all this favor shown to me, the most unwor- 
thy of the race of Adam ? For his name's sake 
he declares in the thirty-second verse of the 
thirty-sixth chapter of Ezekiel, ' Not for your 
sakes do I do this, saith the Lord God, be it 
known unto you : be ashamed and confounded 
for your own ways, O house of Israel.' 

" The first and second month after I com- 
menced business at Natchez, I sold quite as 
much as I had any reason to expect, whereat I 
was encouraged to send to New Orleans for a 
supply of such articles as were wanted to keep 
my assortment good. In order to be at as little 



FOLLOWING THE THREAD OF PROVIDENCE. 201 

expense as possible, and that I might not be 
absent from my shop, I lived alone at my place 
of business, and often felt keenly the want of 
society. Yet even in solitude I found pleasures 
which a busy world does not meddle with. My 
greatest anxieties were always excited by re- 
flecting on the future course which it would be 
best to pursue. To spend my days here in sol- 
itude, even if I were successful in business, 
seemed a melancholy thought." 

By the end of February, 1821, business had 
fallen off, and a letter received at the same time 
from his wife, bewailing his absence and begging 
his return, wrought in him commiseration. 

Soon his heart relented 
Toward her, his life so late and sole delight. 
Now at his feet submissive in distress. 

"My prayers," he says, "were now more 
earnestly lifted to the Supreme Governor of the 
universe that I might be directed whither to 
remove ; and trusting in the promise annexed 
to the command to ' commit thy way unto the 
Lord,' I endeavored to wait until some provi- 
dence might point the path I ought to pursue. 

"While my mind was thus occupied from 
day to day, I received a second letter from my 
wife, in which she again mentioned her low es- 
tate of health, and especially that her spirits 



202 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 



were greatly depressed. After perusing her 
letter, the relation she gave of her difficulties 
and trials so affected my mind that I could no 
longer hesitate what to do. I resolved to make 
the most of my goods as soon as possible, and, 
if spared, to return home, leaving all my affairs 
in the hands of Him who gave me my being." 
Having procured a release from his obligations 
in respect to the store occupied by him, he made 
immediate arrangements for leaving and return- 
ing North. 

" And now," he writes, " I desire to acknowl- 
edge the goodness of God toward me since I 
left home. I have enjoyed a good degree of 
health ; I have been protected from many sur- 
rounding evils ; I have been prospered in my 
business in a measure equal to my expecta- 
tions ; I have found some pleasant and Chris- 
tian society ; I have enjoyed great privileges in 
this place ; and especially would I make men- 
tion of the loving-kindness of the Lord in grant- 
ing me, I trust, some precious tokens of his fa- 
vor, and in his purposes of everlasting mercy to 
ray soul. And while I confess much imper- 
fection and many failures in duty, I would re- 
cord with gratitude what the Lord has done for 
me. ' Oh ! my soul, bless the Lord ; show forth 
his salvation from day to day.'" 



HE RAISES A PILLAR OF GRATITUDE. 203 

On his return to the north, by way of New 
Orleans, he was brought very low with the dys- 
entery common upon the Mississippi, and, in 
prospect of dying, his soul was flooded with 
peace. His life, however, was spared, and he 
reached his family convalescent by way of the 
sea. Nothing better opening in a business way 
at Newark during the summer, he embarked 
in the fall again for Natchez, with his family, 
consisting of his wife and her sister. His busi- 
ness adventure was successful, and, the proceeds 
thereof being invested in cotton, they returned 
to the North in the summer of 1822. This ex- 
pedition, dangerous as it then was from pirates 
by sea and yellow fever in port, was repeated 
for two or three successive seasons. 

In November, when just arrived at Natchez, 
through many perils, we find him recording 
with gratitude, in view of the gracious provi- 
dences that had appeared in his behalf, " Ver- 
ily I can say the Lord is my shade on my right 
hand, therefore I have not been greatly moved. 
I would also remember the goodness of God in 
sparing my wife, and affording her so much 
health. Our fears at leaving New York, lest 
some person on board might have the yellow 
fever, were great : and no less so were they lest 
some of us might take the disease in New Or- 



204 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

leans. We have had a large share of health, 
and have been delivered from all those evils 
which, for the time, produced some degree of 
terror ; and no less were our fears of falling into 
the hands of pirates, than of falling a prey to 
the malignant diseases which banished, many 
of the citizens of New York and New Orleans 
from their homes. May we be enabled at all 
times to cherish a due sense of our obligations 
to the God of our lives, whose mercies, indeed, 
are more than can be reckoned up." 

His speculations and ventures in 1823 did 
not turn out as advantageously as they had 
done ; and this, there is reason to believe, wor- 
rying the wife more than the husband, elicited 
in his journal the following sensible considera- 
tions upon a practical matter, the truth and the 
applicability of which to many cases, rather 
than any peculiar originality or profoundness, 
justify their insertion here : " There is a sub- 
ject which sometimes is talked of among pro- 
fessors of religion, and appears to them of vast 
importance, which yet, notwithstanding, when 
human passions get the ascendency, loses all 
its weight and influence on the mind, and is 
forgotten. I allude to the practice of Christians 
marrying with unbelievers. In the 6th chapter 
of 2d Corinthians, 14th verse and onward, this 



A DELICATE SUBJECT DISCUSSED. 205 

practice is expressly prohibited by the apostle 
as utterly inconsistent ; ' For,' says he, ' what 
fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteous- 
ness? and what communion hath light with 
darkness?' &c, as if he had said, ' Two can not 
walk together except they be agreed. There 
can be no union of heart where two diametric- 
ally opposite principles govern ; and where there 
is no union of heart and principles, there can 
be no concord.' 

"It is strange that where so much is at 
stake there should frequently be discoverable 
so great an unwillingness to let the judgment 
rule instead of the passions. Through this er- 
ror thousands have plunged themselves into all 
the miseries of a guilty conscience, and the 
mortifying reflection that they have entered 
into league and covenant with an enemy of 
God. I am inclined to believe that few Chris- 
tians have ever committed this error without 
repenting of it all the days of their lives after. 
Scarcely a day will pass without some transac- 
tion taking place which will cause grief and so- 
licitude on the part of the one who would con- 
scientiously walk in the ways of God's holy 
commands. 

" The Christian sees every object in a differ- 
ent light from the unregenerate person. The 



206 CAPTAIN OBAD1AH CONGAR. 

Christian's God is the Lord of heaven and earth ; 
the unregenerate person's god is this world with 
its vanities. The Christian's end and aim is to 
do something for the advancement of the Re- 
deemer's kingdom among men; the unregen- 
erate person's end is to advance self, to in- 
crease wealth, to live in luxury and ease. The 
Christian feels it obligatory to devote a part of 
every day to secret prayer, and to contribute a 
portion of his worldly substance, as God hath 
prospered, to benevolent objects ; the unregen- 
erate person's language is, what need of so much 
solicitude about religion — we have need of all 
we can earn for our own use, for we know not 
what shall befall us, and we ought to provide 
for a rainy day, and so on. 

" A Christian friend must not be introduced 
into the family, lest the subject of religion be- 
comes the topic of conversation, and the thoughts 
of religion always produce uneasiness in the 
mind of the unregenerate. On the other hand, 
gay, vain, and foolish company never can suit 
the mind that is looking beyond this terrestrial 
ball for something more substantial and lasting. 

" There will therefore exist a constant source 
of disquietude and perturbation, which noth- 
ing can dispel but Almighty grace. How dan- 
gerous is it for Christians to marry with unbe- 



EVIDENCE OF GROWTH IN GRACE. 207 



lievers : how unhappy it is sure to make them ! 
The Christian can not engage in any benevo- 
lent enterprise, but the unregenerate clog is al- 
ways hanging back ; or, if it go, it must be car- 
ried, for it has no feet to walk, no eyes to see, 
no tongue to talk. r 

Notwithstanding the peculiar trials of Cap- 
tain Congar, and his unfavorable changing life, 
there is evidence in these years of a pretty uni- 
form growth in grace, and an abiding fixedness 
of purpose to glorify and serve God. In a sub- 
sequent passage South to that referred to above, 
after enumerating the Divine providential fa- 
vors to himself and family, he adds, with great 
appearance of sincerity and fervor, "But the 
greatest of all blessings bestowed upon the chief 
of sinners is in general (if I be not deceived, 
and I trust I am not, by the spirit which he 
hath given me) a uniform and comfortable 
hope that I am interested in the covenant mer- 
cy of God through Jesus Christ ; that he has 
wrought in my soul a work of grace, which is 
an earnest of the complete perfection of soul 
and body in his heavenly kingdom ; and, hav- 
ing such hopes, I endeavor, in some measure, 
to purify myself as Christ is pure. But, alas, 
my sin and folly ! Not a day of my life but I 
am called upon to lament more or less mis- 



208 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 



spent time, some thought, word, or deed which 
is contrary to the Divine requirements, and in- 
consistent with my own most solemn vows and 
engagements. When will the time come that 
I shall love the Lord with all my heart, and my 
neighbor as myself? May the Lord create in 
me a new heart, and renew a right spirit with- 
in me. 

" Wednesday, twenty-ninth of October. The 
winds are favorable, but very light. At eight 
o'clock A.M. made the land, being what is call- 
ed the Harbor Islands. We are all well on 
board, in number about forty persons besides 
myself; and, alas ! what a melancholy reflec- 
tion, that I find no good grounds to believe there 
is one truly pious individual among them ! It 
might, indeed, be thought, that in the judgment 
of that charity which believeth all things, which 
hopeth all things, I ought to form a different 
conclusion, and not discover so much partiality 
or selfishness as to think unfavorably of every 
one but myself. 

" There is no doubt but self-preference is in- 
terwoven with our very natures, so that a mix- 
ture of it may be seen even in those who are 
most distinguished for their graces. But in 
forming our opinion relative to the state and 
condition of our fellow-men in a religious point 



STATE AND PROSPECTS OF THE UNGODLY. 209 

of view, we must always be governed by the 
decision of the Bible, and therefore what the 
Bible approves we must approve, and what the 
Bible condemns we must condemn. 

" When, therefore, we see men from day to 
day spending their whole time playing cards, 
frequently taking their Maker's name in vain, 
and idling away the Sabbath, or vainly amus- 
ing themselves by reading some novel or tri- 
fling publication, while the Bible is wholly neg- 
lected, what can we say? Must we not con- 
clude there is no fear of God before their eyes ? 
And surely there can be no love of God in their 
hearts. 

" Here, then, some might suppose is a great 
opening to do good, an opportunity to suggest 
occasionally the great concerns of the soul, and 
seeking the knowledge of God ; yet, in general, 
the fear of souring the minds of those around 
me by introducing a subject to which the hu- 
man heart is so much averse, together with a 
want of capacity for discussing even those things 
which, to my own apprehension, are perfectly 
clear and satisfactory, hinders me from doing 
much save distributing a few tracts. With 
what feelings, then, should I indulge the hope, 
that while so many are left in nature's dark- 
ness, and living daily without any due sense of 
O 



210 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

the evil of sin, and regardless of the way of es- 
cape from the wrath to come, I alone, who am 
the chief of sinners, should be made a monu- 
ment of Divine mercy ! Surely the ways of the 
Lord are not as our ways, neither his thoughts 
like our thoughts. I pray that I may never 
lose sight of my original state by nature, nor of 
the exceeding wickedness of my former prac- 
tices, nor yet my manifold imperfections and 
shortcomings, lest, being lifted up with spirit- 
ual pride, I should think myself to be some- 
thing when I am nothing. 

" Friday, 31st. Passing the Berry Islands, 
with a pleasant breeze and delightful weather. 
I never come this way without noticing how ex- 
actly the temperature of this climate suits my 
habit and constitution, and I often wish these 
islands were fertile and inhabited, that I might 
find an abode where the cold winds of the north 
could not reach me, and where the summer heat 
would not relax the system as it does in the 
southern sections of my own country. But why 
should I make calculations, or imagine that this 
or that country, or place, or society would af- 
ford those pleasures which are unfading, dur- 
able, and pure ?" 

His experience found itself portrayed in the 
lines of Madam Guyon : 



A SOURCE OF ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION. 211 

Thou, Lord, alone, art all thy children need, 

And there is none beside : 
From thee the streams of blessedness proceed ; 

In thee the bless'd abide. 
Fountain of life and all-abounding grace, 
Our source, our center, and our dwelling place. 

With me remains nor place nor time, 

My country is in every clime : 
I can be safe and free from care 

On every shore, for God is there. 

" But ah ! the thought that my wife is still in 
the gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity often 
makes me go mourning all the day long. When 
I reflect on her situation as a sinner, and ap- 
parently becoming more and more insensible of 
her sad state, and when I find, also, her unwill- 
ingness to converse on the subject of religion, 
and, at the same time, fear she indulges some 
kind of a false hope, I feel under serious appre- 
hensions for her eternal welfare, and cease not to 
pray for her, although, I may add, with a feeble 
hope. But I endeavor still to commend her to 
the mercy of God, who is a wise and holy sov- 
ereign, and who has a right to do with his creat- 
ures as seemeth good in his sight. I beseech 
the Lord, for Christ's sake, to give me grace to 
pray for her more fervently, and from pure and 
holy motives, that his name may be glorified 
in her salvation. O Lord, let her not perish 



212 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

through my sin and unfaithfulness. Saturday, 
first of November. Light winds and very un- 
pleasant weather : sailing over the Banks all the 
past night and this day, in three fathoms water. 
The thermometer is generally about seventy- 
eight degrees — to-day it stands at eighty-one 
degrees ; but, notwithstanding the weather is 
warm, it is by no means oppressive. At three 
P. M., it being nearly calm, and not wishing to 
go off the Banks with so light a wind, we came 
to anchor in ten fathoms water. 

" "We continued at anchor until the day fol- 
lowing, when, at two P. M., a smart breeze sud- 
denly sprung up from the northward and east- 
ward, which we readily embraced by getting 
under way and standing on our course. We 
steered west-southwest, going eight miles per 
hour. At two o'clock in the morning the watch 
on deck supposed they saw breakers ahead, 
which, for the instant, threw us in the utmost 
confusion. The ship was immediately wore 
round, and brought under snug sail until morn- 
ing. Then, having discovered the Double-head- 
ed-shot Keys as far as we could see to the east- 
ward, we concluded that our fears had been 
groundless. Tried the temperature of the 
water, and found it seventy-eight degrees, and 
the air, in the shade, seventy-four, Thursday, 



PAINED BY THE SIGHT OF SABBATH-BREAKING. 213 

6th. The wind continued favorable : at two 
P. M., saw the land about the Balize bearing 
west three leagues. 

" Sabbath, 9th. The holy Scriptures declare 
this is the day the Lord hath made. But, alas ! 
how little is it regarded by many on ship or 
shore ; and what numerous occasions does the 
water-business give men for profaning the Lord's 
day by working thereupon, without exposing 
them to the censures of the godly and Sabbath- 
keeping. But they forget that the Sabbath's 
avenging Lord is eyeing them^ and is sure to 
bring them up : 

" ' Who resteth not one day in seven, 
That soul shall never rest in heaven.' 

My soul is grieved at seeing all hands on board, 
with about twenty slaves besides, employed in 
warping the ship through the English Turn, 
with the wind ahead — a thing for which none 
can plead the least pretense of necessity. 

" I can not help remarking the power of un- 
belief in the carnal heart, and the determination 
which it manifests to reject every thing which 
does not accord with its own notion. A strik- 
ing instance of this I have noticed in the con- 
duct and conversation of our captain. He 
seems willing to allow that the Scriptures con- 
tain many things which are excellent, and well 



214 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 



calculated to promote the good of mankind, but 
by no means acknowledges that the whole of it 
is the word of God, and absolutely considers 
some part of it too horrible ever to have been 
published ; and yet allows that those who live 
strictly according to its requirements will event- 
ually have the advantage of all others, but says 
he wishes he had never read it. 

" Respecting his conclusions relative to the 
Bible, he is confirmed in his opinion by observ- 
ing that many of those who profess to believe 
its authenticity, and to take it for their rule 
and guide, do not appear to be better men than 
others, nor is it discoverable that they are in- 
fluenced by purer principles. Would to God 
these remarks did not apply to myself. I blush 
and am ashamed to think how often I have oc- 
casioned a reproach to religion. O Lord, cleanse 
me from secret faults, and keep back thy serv- 
ant from presumptuous sins ; let them not have 
the dominion over me. Through thy grace I 
will endeavor to be more consistent." 



Jehovah, sov'reign of my heart! 

My joy by night and day ! 
From thee, oh ! never more I'll part, 

From thee ne'er go astray. 



LONGINGS OF THE REGENERATE SOUL. 215 



Whene'er allurements round me stand 

And tempt me from my choice, 
Oh ! let me find thy gracious hand ; 

Oh ! let me hear thy voice. 
This vain and feeble heart, I know, 

To worldly ways is prone ; 
But penitential tears shall show 

There's joy in thee alone. 
With God all darkness turns to day; 

With him all sorrows flee ; 
Thou art the true and living way, 

And I will walk in thee. 



216 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 



Chapter XL 

BUSINESS, BENEVOLENCE, AND MENTAL EXERCISES 
ON SHORE CONTINUED. 

Thus, lady, fares the man that hath prepared 
A Rest for his desires; and sees all things 
Beneath him ; and hath learned this Book of Man, 
Full of the notes of frailty ; and compared 
The best of glory with her sufferings: 
By whom I see you labor all you can 
To plant your heart, and set your thoughts as near 
His glorious Mansion as your powers can bear. 

Old Daniel. 

Up to the year 1828 Captain Congar contin- 
ued to spend his winters in Natchez, doing bus- 
iness successfully with the assortments of goods 
which he brought with him from the North 
from year to year. He engaged zealously in 
the Sabbath school and the support of religious 
ordinances in the Southwest, and was much es- 
teemed by a circle of Christian friends as a man 
of high integrity, conscientiousness, and relig- 
ious zeal. He records frequently, with devout 
gratitude, his providential deliverances by sea 
and land in going to and fro, sometimes on the 
floating steam volcanoes of the Mississippi and 



AFFECTIONATE DESIRES AS A HUSBAND. 217 



other waters of the West, sometimes in the dan- 
gerous navigation of the Capes of Florida. 

The malignant diseases of the climate, as the 
bilious, yellow, and coast fevers, he was happi- 
ly preserved from ; but both himself and wife 
had occasional attacks of the fever and ague, 
which few at that time escaped. During an 
illness of his wife at Natchez in 1826, his affec- 
tion as a tender husband and Christian was 
sorely tried. " How," said he, " did my bow- 
els yearn over her, when, in an agony of pain, 
she would cry for mercy ! Her distress, during 
these paroxysms, has torn my very heart with 
grief and dismay. Oh ! that she might indeed 
find mercy for the sake of Jesus Christ, who 
hath opened a door of mercy through his aton- 
ing blood, even for those who, sensible of their 
misery, come to him at the eleventh hour. Al- 
though I felt unwilling to leave her for a mo- 
ment, yet I was constrained to retire for a little 
when an opportunity offered, to plead at the 
throne of grace on her behalf. I wrestled in 
her behalf that this sore trial might be sancti- 
fied to her, and be made the means of bringing 
her to see that she needed salvation from sin as 
well as from suffering. Through the Divine 
goodness, she was soon restored to usual health 
again." 



218 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 



In the summer of 1829 we find him establish- 
ed in business at Savannah, Georgia, and this 
is a fragment of his autobiography on entering 
upon his sixty-second year: "June 27th, 1829. 
I have now the satisfaction to record the good- 
ness of Almighty God to me in the numerous 
instances of his kindness through every period 
of my existence, and particularly for permitting 
me to enter upon the sixty-second year of my 
age in so much health, enjoying the use of my 
reason, surrounded with friends, and especially 
favored with a comfortable hope that my sins 
are pardoned and my name written in heaven, 
through, the boundless mercy of God in Christ 
Jesus, to whom be glory forever, Amen. I 
have, indeed, great reason to be humbled for 
my sins of the year past, as well as of my whole 
life. May I henceforth redeem my misspent 
time, and weave more carefully my warp of 
life, since its threads must be nearly through. 
Many things are admonishing me of life's un- 
certainty. Day before yesterday this city was 
visited with a destructive storm of lightning 
and rain. The thunderbolts were in such swift 
and startling succession that men thought the 
artillery of the last day was discharging upon 
them, and that the advance couriers of the judg- 
ment had come. A woman and her child, about 



SHORT RELAPSE INTO DESPONDENCY. 219 

four years of age, were killed instantly. A 
horse was also killed, a vessel's mast shivered, 
and a house struck. Verily, in the midst of 
life we are in death. Oh ! may my future days, 
be they many or few, be devoted to the service 
of my God and Savior, that when death comes, 
whether suddenly or with long warning, I may 
have nothing to do but die." 

In the winter of 1830, his business being 
depressed, and being afflicted also with sore 
sickness in his family, he seems to have fallen 
again into a state of painful despondency. Re- 
membering that as iron sharpeneth iron, so 
doth the countenance of a man his friend, he 
wisely called upon two of the elders of the 
Church, and freely communicated with them 
respecting his spiritual concerns. They treat- 
ed him, he says, with great kindness and skill, 
and prayed with him, and from this time for- 
ward his mind was much relieved, and was en- 
abled in a measure, as before, to rejoice in the 
Lord. But the situation of his wife, both as 
to her bodily and spiritual estate, excited his 
deepest solicitude. 

In April we find him saying, "It is with a 
degree of heartfelt gratitude to Almighty God 
that I am enabled once more to cherish a com- 
fortable hope that I have found mercy and 



220 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

grace in his sight. I am still, indeed, oppressed 
with a deep sense of sin and of the awful de- 
pravity of the human heart, but I am freed in 
a good degree from that dark, despairing frame 
of mind which seemed almost to overwhelm 
me at times. I trust God is faithful. Jesus 
Christ is the same yesterday, to-day, and for- 
ever. I hope I have committed my cause to 
him, and that he hath heard my prayers ; and 
I think I feel thankful for those chastisements 
which have been the means of bringing me to 
consider my ways and doings, which were not 
good. 

" I have found the exercises and solemnities 
of the communion season well suited to relieve 
the mind of the doubting and desponding sin- 
ner who still hopes the Lord has not utterly 
forsaken him, who still hopes the Spirit of grace 
is exciting him to a more firm and uniform re- 
liance on the mercy of God in Christ for every 
blessing, and waiting and longing for new and 
brighter discoveries of the Divine perfections, 
and for a more complete deliverance from the 
bondage of sin. I think I can say in truth that, 
in general, from the communion season until 
this day, I have experienced some sweet tokens 
of the Lord's kindness. 

" Tuesday, August 24th. This day has been 



GRACIOUS TOKENS OF DIVINE FAVOR. 221 



recommended by our pastor to be observed as a 
day of fasting, humiliation, and prayer, that 
God would revive the languishing graces of his 
own people, and stir them up to a greater con- 
cern for his glory and the salvation of souls. 
At ten A.M. a goodly number met, and the ex- 
ercises were interesting, and such as were cal- 
culated to arouse the slumbering Christian and 
bring the unhumbled sinner to feel his danger. 
As regards myself, my mind for some days past 
has been more than ordinarily employed with 
serious thoughts relative to my own spiritual 
condition. Methinks I have seen more and 
more of the deceitfulness of my heart than ever, 
and I do groan, being burdened. I fear I have 
thought myself to be something when I was 
nothing. I am resolved, by Divine assistance, 
to watch my heart and life with more care, and 
to make it my business to compare, not only 
my outward conduct, but the temple of my 
heart, with the requirements of the Gospel, and 
to bring all my thoughts and actions to that 
test. I feel resolved to engage in good earnest 
in a holy warfare with the powers of darkness, 
and not to spare my own lusts and corruptions, 
but seek to have them all slain through the 
power of the great Captain of my salvation. 
Satan, I know, will roar and fling his fiery 



222 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

darts. Dear Savior, shield me, and grant me 
deliverance, that I may yet sing a song of vic- 
tory, and praise thy name for thy loving kind- 
ness and for thy truth." 

Oh ! that I had not this divided heart, 

A mind self-sunder'd, and at war within ; 
Which gives, or seems to give, to Heaven a part, 

But gives, alas ! a greater part to sin. 
Sometimes I think the victory to gain, 

And plant my standard on the heavenly height ; 
But suddenly imperious passions reign, 

And put my faithfulness and hopes to flight. 
My conscience prompts me to the better way, 

The Holy Spirit makes it still more clear ; 
But foul temptation leads my steps astray, 

And heaven is lost, because the world is dear. 
'Tis he in triumph and in peace shall run 

The Christian's trying race, whose heart, whose 
soul is one. 

His business adventures not succeeding in 
Savannah so prosperously as they had hoped 
for, and restlessness in his family consequent, 
probably in great degree, upon ill health calling 
for a change, Captain Congar removed in 1831 
to St. Augustine, East Florida, not, he said, 
that it offered much as a place of business, but 
as a climate more congenial to their habits and 
constitutions than any other in the United 
States. He purchased a small homestead and 
store there, with the design of a permanent 



LIFE AND LABORS AT ST. AUGUSTINE. 223 

abode for the remainder of his days ; and he en- 
gaged in humble religious labors, in connection 
with the Presbyterian Church, with, his wonted 
zeal and conscientiousness, obtaining, in a high 
degree, the confidence of the whole community, 
and the warm regard of a circle of friends. 

But in the year 1838, a settled dissatisfac- 
tion in his family, arising, in part, from an in- 
terruption of friendly intercourse with the di- 
rectors of the St. Augustine Banking Institution, 
and more, perhaps, from internal unrest and dis- 
quiet, compelled him, though sorely against his 
will, to transfer his residence first to St. Mary's, 
Georgia, and thence to Jacksonville, Florida, 
meanwhile visiting at the North. His desire 
to do good and to glorify God held him fast 
through changes that were far from satisfactory 
or profitable to one in his years. 

On his seventieth birth-day, June 27th, 1838, 
being on a visit to Newark, surveying the mer- 
cies of his active and green old age, and look- 
ing beyond the cloud that just then hung over 
him, we find him thus resolving, as in the vig- 
or of youth: " To use the world as not abusing 
it, renouncing it as his portioir, and keeping it 
under foot ; to resist the powers of darkness, and 
to live to the glory of God. It is, indeed, but 
little I can expect to do the remainder of my 



224 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

days, either for God my Maker, Christ my Re- 
deemer, or my fellow-man. I consider my days 
of activity and usefulness, if, indeed, I have ever 
been useful, nearly at an end. But I beseech 
the Most High to succor and strengthen me to 
do his will, and to enable me to bear up under 
the trials, vicissitudes, and changes of this mor- 
tal life without complaining, trusting in his 
name that all will be well. 

" We remained in New York and among our 
friends until the beginning of September fol- 
lowing. After much deliberation and prayer, 
it was finally agreed upon by us both that it 
would be best to return to Florida as soon as 
convenient, and with a view to locate ourselves 
at Jacksonville (a new place), about twenty 
miles from the St. John's Bar." 

Having purchased a new stock of goods 
with this view, they took passage in the schoon- 
er Essex, Captain JefFery. Just after leaving 
New York they experienced a heavy gale of 
wind, and lost both anchors; but, having ob- 
tained a pilot, they were successful in running 
the vessel upon the beach, without loss of life. 
The wind afterward subsiding, the vessel was 
lightened, got off, and taken to the city for re- 
pairs. 

On the thirtieth day of September they em- 



SETTLEMENT AT JACKSONVILLE. 225 

barked again, and, after a pleasant passage of 
nine days, arrived safe over the St. John's Bar. 
Reaching Jacksonville on the twelfth of October, 
he says, " We engaged a house, landed our 
goods, and commenced business immediately. 
Thus far the Lord has led me on. Thus far 
his power prolongs my days." 

Here Captain Congar was permitted to spend 
a period of seven years, respected, beloved, and 
useful, up to that immediately preceding the 
date of his death. On the anniversary of his 
seventy-third birth-day there is this entry : 
" My earthly race is well-nigh run. I shall 
have little more to do with a world in arms 
against its Sovereign, the great and mighty 
God. With that Sovereign I have an advo- 
cate, even Jesus Christ the righteous, and he is 
the propitiation for my sins. O blessed Ad- 
vocate, plead my cause, do all for me, and 
strengthen me to do and to suffer all thou wilt 
appoint me ; and all the days of my appointed 
time let me wait till my change come, and be 
more consistent than I have been as a member 
of the community, as the head of a family, and 
as a professed follower of the Lamb. 

" It was the Psalmist's saying, ' One thing 
have I desired, that will I seek after.' This do 
I pant after with my whole heart, to be emp- 
P 



226 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAIt. 

tied of self and the world, and filled, like a va- 
cant vessel, with all the fullness of God. The 
world is dead to me, and I am dead to the 
world, though still busy in it. Its maxims, its 
fashions, its amusements, its pleasures, its ac- 
quisitions, how gladly I can quit them all." 

World, adieu, thou real cheat, 

Oft have thy deceitful charms 
Fill'd my heart with fond conceit, 

Foolish hopes and false alarms : 
Now I see as clear as day 
How thy follies pass away. 

Vain thy entertaining sights ; 

False thy promises rene wM ; 
All the pomp of thy delights 

Does but flatter and delude : 
Thee I quit for heaven above, 
Object of the noblest love. 

H Could I be sure that my days of usefulness 
were at an end which my heavenly Father ap- 
points to me, I think I could have done with all 
terrestrial things without one sigh but that I 
had not better served my Lord and Master. 
The hopes which religion inspires are now my 
only solace in the worldly work which I have 
still to do. The cares and business of this life 
only harass and vex ; the consolations of relig- 
ion calm and soothe. Oh ! that the longer I 
dwell here, the more I may become transformed 



MOUNT PISGAH CLIMBED. 227 

into the image of my Savior ; that, when death 
comes, I may doff all mortal fear, and shout in 
triumph, through Him who makes me conquer, 
■ O Death, where is thy sting ! O Grave, 
where is thy victory !' " 



Sometimes I upward lift mine eyes, 

And, fill'd with pleasure, see 
The happy hosts that throng the skies, 

The blood-wash'd company. 
How beautiful their robes, I say; 

Their garments all, how white ! 
Fair as the sun's ascending ray, 

And clear as noon-day light. 

Oh Savior, thou hast made them clean, 

The garments they do wear ; 
And all who wash in thee their sin, 

May in those garments share. 
Let me, too, wear that spotless dress, 

Its beauty may I prove : 
That robe of finish'd holiness, 

The garb of perfect love ! 



228 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 



Chapter XII. 

LIFE, LABORS, AND EXPERIENCE AT JACKSONVILLE. 

That man may last, but never lives, 
Who much receives, but nothing gives ; 
Whom none can love, whom none can thank, 
Creation's blot, creation's blank. 
But he who marks, from day to day, 
In generous acts his radiant way, 
Treads the same path his Savior trod, 
The path to glory and to God. — Gibbons. 

In accordance with his usual energy and zeal 
in the things of religion, Captain Congar had 
not been long in Jacksonville before we find 
him earnestly engaged in measures for its mor- 
al and spiritual improvement. His record of 
events and of personal observations and doings 
there is not so full as in years before, but some- 
thing is supplied by letters to friends. 

In a communication to a sister in Newark, 
dated Jacksonville, East Florida, August 15th, 
1842, he says : " I have several subjects which 
call my attention in writing you at this time> 
and which I might touch upon a little ; but it 
is sometimes with me as it is with some preach- 
ers I have heard, who, having arranged their in- 
tended discourse under several heads, commence 



RECAPITULATION OF MERCIES. 229 

thus : ' In the first place, let me call your at- 
tention to the consideration of the first clause of 
such a verse ;' after which they forget to say 
any thing about the second, third, or fourth 
place, and go on promiscuously. But on this 
occasion I say, in the first place, Mary and my- 
self have both been highly favored with usual 
health ; not that we are altogether without the 
infirmities of human nature, and especially of 
years, but we know nothing, since we came to 
this place, of lingering disease ; this I esteem a 
comfort which demands corresponding grati- 
tude to our Almighty preserver and benefactor. 
"We have, in the second place, been deliver- 
ed from the hand of the savage foe, who have 
been permitted to deal death and destruction to 
many families not far distant. 3d. We have 
been protected from the devouring element, 
which has often consumed in a few moments 
all that man could call his own on this whirling 
globe. 4th. Though not in affluence, we have 
a competency of such things as are needful. 
5th. We now have the Gospel preached every 
Sabbath, and, although we have no evidences 
of awakenings among us, yet a degree of deco- 
rum and good order has prevailed which would 
do credit to some villages in the land of steady 
habits, 



230 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

"Our social intercourse with our neighbors 
is mostly of a friendly character, and perhaps 
there is no place of the same size in our land 
where there is less poverty or absolute want 
than in Jacksonville ; and if we do not recog- 
nize the good hand of God in all these mercies, 
it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom 
and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for 
us. A great moral improvement has taken 
place within the last two years. Profaneness, 
Sabbath-breaking, and intemperance abounded 
to an alarming degree when we first came here, 
and, although we can hardly say the people of 
Jacksonville are a church-going people, yet 
numbers do attend, let who will preach. 

" It is a long time since I have heard of any 
new and extensive revivals of religion any where. 
Are Christians awake to this momentous con- 
cern ? I sometimes fear, much fear, that the 
whole Church has become greatly conformed to 
the world, although it is so clearly enjoined 
upon us to set our affections on things above, 
and not on things of this world. St. James 
says, ' Whosoever will be a friend of the world 
is the enemy of God. 5 How should we take 
care in this, as well as all other matters that 
concern our usefulness here, and our everlasting 
destiny beyond the bounds of time and sense. 



EARTH RENOUNCED HEAVEN ANTICIPATED. 231 

Let us pray for each other, and for all our dear 
friends, some of whom, we have reason to fear, 
are yet strangers to God and Christ, and in love 
with darkness. You, and I, and more of us 
have got far on our journey toward another 
world, and the admonition, ' Set thine house in 
order,' may, and ought to be listened to by us 
as a voice from God. I think I can say from 
the heart, with our favorite Watts, ' Heaven is 
before, and the world behind.' 

44 4 Lord, I renounce my carnal taste 

Of the fair fruit that sinners prize ; 
Their paradise no more shall waste 
One thought of mine, but to despise. 

Come, heaven, and fill my vast desires; 

My soul pursues the sovereign good : 
She was all made of heavenly fires, 

Nor can she live on meaner food.' 

That the Lord, in mercy, may take charge of 
us all while we are sojourning here, and, through 
his abounding goodness in Christ Jesus, bring 
us, with all our dear friends, to meet in a bet- 
ter world, is the desire and prayer of your affec- 
tionate but unworthy brother, 

" Obadiah Congar." 

In December of 1843, four others having 
united with Captain Congar in church-fellow- 
ship, they were duly organized into the First 



232 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

Presbyterian Church of Jacksonville, in connec- 
tion with the presbytery of Georgia, Rev. Mr. 
Baird, from St. Mary's, being present with them 
as a delegate from that body. Mr. William B. 
Barton and Captain Congar were at once elect- 
ed and ordained elders. " The Sabbath day fol- 
lowing," says the journal, " being the thirty- 
first of December, the significant and touching 
rite of the Lord's Supper was administered to 
our little number, and, at the same time, one 
new male member was added to the church by 
examination, fiz., Stephen Eddy, from Massa- 
chusetts, for several years a resident of this vil- 
lage, making our whole number six. Thus ends 
the year 1843. The mercies and favors be- 
stowed on me during the course of it have been 
like a running river : they have flowed on from 
the fountain of God's goodness without ever 
once stopping. Oh that my gratitude and obe- 
dience might correspond ! How weighty, and 
yet, because of its sweetness, how light is the 
obligation which rests upon me, to consecrate 
the few remaining days I may yet have below 
to the service of my covenant-keeping God and 
Redeemer. Oh that I could realize my entire 
dependence on the grace of the Lord Jesus 
Christ to furnish me with every needed good for 
this world, but especially to furnish me with 



HOPES AND DESIRES OF THE GRACIOUS SOUL. 233 

heavenly armor, that I may fight the battles 
of the Lord as a good soldier of Jesus Christ, 
and be enabled to resist every adversary that 
would oppose my march onward to a better 
world. 

" Through Divine assistance, I am resolved, 
though old, to set out anew in this heavenly 
enterprise. But when I look back and see how 
many vows have been broken, how many reso- 
lutions to be more faithful, and more exempla- 
ry, and more consistent have fallen short, were 
it not for the promise of God to keep by his 
power, through faith unto salvation, all who 
have chosen him for their everlasting portion, 
my soul would sink into despondency. Through 
his grace, grace only, 1 hope to persevere unto 
the end. My soul, wait thou only, only, only 
upon God : my expectation is from him." 

Oh, could I rule each erring thought, 

Each wrong desire subdue ; 
And serve my Maker as I ought, 

And thou wouldst have me do : 
Oh, could I discipline my mind 

To seek the heavenly goal ; 
Nor strive in earthly things to find 

A treasure for the soul — 
Then should my lips no more complain, 

Sin only makes my grief; 
And Thou, that givest ease for pain, 

Wouldst quickly bring relief: 



234 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

Ascendent over time and sense, 

My feet should upward move, 
Protected by thy providence, 

Rejoicing in thy love. 

" Monday, January 1st, 1844, finds me in 
the experience of countless blessings from my 
heavenly Father. My health, indeed, is not 
very good, but yet I enjoy much more than I 
suffer. My family has been spared to me, and 
I to them. Our worldly substance, though not 
increasing, is yet sufficient for our present 
wants ; and we think, with good reason, the 
state of society is fast improving among us. 
There is now far less intemperance, Sabbathr 
breaking, and open vice and immorality here 
than when I came to this place. Preaching, 
also, is performed almost every Sabbath through 
the year. And now, if it be my Father's will 
to keep me here another year, may I be more 
humble, more meek, more patient, more engaged 
in the all-important duties of religion, in serv- 
ing my God and Savior, and striving to do 
good to my fellow-men ; bearing up under the 
trials of life without murmuring; submitting 
myself to my heavenly Father in all things ; 
always keeping in mind that my final dissolu- 
tion is drawing nigh, and that the great day of 
account is at hand." 



ANNIVERSARY BIRTH-DAY THOUGHTS. 235 

Oh, may this thought possess my breast, 
Where'er I rove, where'er I rest ; 
Nor let my weaker passions dare 
Consent to sin, for God is there. 

In April of this year Captain Congar was 
elected by his fellow-citizens to the office of In- 
tendant, or Mayor, of Jacksonville. With his 
characteristic diffidence and self-distrust, he at 
first refused the honor ; but his objections were 
overruled, and he filled the post, it is believed, 
with acceptance and good ability. His unaf- 
fected humility appears in the notice taken of 
it in his journal. It will have been observed, 
also, how uniformly the subject of this auto- 
biography devoted the anniversaries of his birth 
to special reflection and review of his life and 
character as a man and a Christian. This habit 
he continued to the close of life ; and when, in 
his last years, the entries are rare, birth-days 
are never omitted. At the close of his seventy- 
seventh year, we find him making this record 
in the words of the patriarch : " Few and evil 
have been the days of the years of my pilgrim- 
age. Evil, not so much because my sufferings 
and afflictions have been great, but because of 
sin, the greatest evil. This has been the pro- 
curing cause of all other evils borne by me and 
by the rest of the human family. Yet to real- 



236 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

ize this mortifying truth is difficult. I find 
daily the infirmities of age gaining upon me. 
May I be suitably affected thereby, and hence- 
forth keep my end in view more than ever I 
have yet done, and especially the great end of 
my existence in this world, the glory of God. 

"It is not uncommon for a man to keep a 
record of the most important affairs and con- 
cerns of human life, and yet it is not common 
with men in general to record or notice partic- 
ularly the day which ushered them into life and 
immortal being. I have often noticed, and some- 
times with a deep interest, this era of my soul's 
beginning — at least interesting to my God and 
to me. My whole life, though of little account 
to the world at large, is of great and momentous 
account to myself. The very thought that I 
have an existence as a free moral agent, and 
that that existence will continue to all eterni- 
ty, is a deeply interesting and momentous con- 
sideration to every one of the human family. 
"What have I then to do in order that this ex- 
istence may prove a blessing to myself as well 
as to my family and to all with whom I have 
to do ? A man's way is said by Cecil to be de- 
clarative of his end. The wise man concludes 
his admonitions and exhortations thus : ' Let us 
hear the conclusion of the whole matter : fear 



INSTRUCTIVE CONTRASTS OF EXPERIENCE. 287 

God and keep his commandments, for this is 
the whole duty of man.' 

" Saturday, June 28th, 1845. Yesterday, 
the twenty-seventh, I commenced the seventy- 
eighth year of my age. My thoughts were oc- 
cupied considerably on the goodness of God in 
sparing so great a sinner so many years, while 
thousands, to appearance far better than I, have 
long since been numbered with the dead. I 
stand a monument of the forbearance and pa- 
tience of a holy God, and I have only to won- 
der that that patience has been so eminently 
extended to me, the chief of sinners, whom judg- 
ments and mercies did so long fail to soften. 
Glory to his sovereign grace that I was ever 
brought to submit." 

Once I had a heart within, 

Thankless and opposed to God, 
And, wandering in the ways of sin, 

In wisdom's ways had never trod. 
Mercies were regarded not, 

Judgments came my soul to try, 
But in a moment were forgot, 

And left me still to vanity. 

But the spirit showed at last 

All the strictness of the Law, 
And as its mirror o'er me pass'd, 

My heart's depravity I saw. 
Then my soul, in deep despair, 

Felt within the rankling dart ; 



238 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

But Jesus pluck'd it out with care, 

And gave a renovated heart. 
What I loved and sought before, 

Pleases me no longer now ; 
But at the cross my prayers I pour, 

At my Savior's feet I bow. 

In the year 1846, the small band of Presby- 
terians at Jacksonville, being without a minis- 
ter, were under the necessity of a conditional 
sale of their place of worship to the Methodists. 
Captain Congar had paid nearly three hundred 
dollars toward its erection, and it was a grief 
of mind to have to sell it, although to another 
evangelical society, who proffered them the use 
of it for public services at all times when a 
Presbyterian minister should be present. With 
a practical energy and zeal seldom evinced 
by one of his years, he now set about obtain- 
ing materials for building a small session and 
conference house on a lot of ground belonging 
to himself, for the purpose of holding prayer- 
meetings or other religious services when they 
should have a minister. To this end he solic- 
ited aid from friends in the North, and the fol- 
lowing letters were written in that quest and 
in acknowledgment of donations. 

" Jacksonville (E. F.), January 12th, 1847. 
" MY DEAR AND BELOVED SlSTER, 1 Wrote 



LETTERS SOLICITING BENEVOLENCE. 239 

you on the first of December principally on a 
matter in which I have felt a deep interest. 
From the time I became acquainted with this 
place and with this people, it has been my con- 
stant study how, in what way, and when might 
means be obtained for the purpose of putting 
up a suitable building for the use of the Church 
— I mean, where Christians of all evangelical de- 
nominations could meet together to make their 
common supplications to the God of all mercy 
and grace, that he would be pleased to stop the 
flood-gates of vice and iniquity among us, pour 
out his Spirit, and revive his work in our parts. 
In the solemn and regular attendance of the 
followers of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, 
a spirit of union and good feeling has often been 
witnessed, and we trust the prayers and praises 
of the people of God have been heard and an- 
swered. When I came to this place, it might 
well be called a sink of vice and open wicked- 
ness. Through the mercy and gracious inter- 
position of the Great Head of the Church, vice 
and immorality have now received a check 
which I trust will continue ; and could we get 
through and finish the building we have now 
under way, I hope a lasting blessing will yet 
arise to this community, which will continue 
when you and I have done with this world. 



240 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

"Dear sister, I feel and am persuaded that 
it becomes us to work while the day lasts, for 
the night cometh when no man can work. I 
find myself failing in bodily strength, conse- 
quently I can do but little for the Church or for 
the world. My day is over for much effort in 
any case, yet I aim to do something for genera- 
tions to come. I have a little property, a part 
of which I have consecrated for the service of 
God my Creator, preserver, and glorious Re- 
deemer. It is indeed but little that I can do, 
but if this little be accepted, owned, and blessed, 
my desires will be granted. The building I am 
now erecting will seat between sixty and sev- 
enty persons, and is in a convenient part of the 
town ; and we have reason to expect that when 
it is opened for worship, in a short time every 
seat will be occupied. My object, therefore, in 
writing you at this time is to solicit aid to help 
me through with this business. I can not ob- 
tain the aid which is needed in this place ; and 
though you have manifested your good-will al- 
ready, I hope you will respond to my request. 
It is not likely that either of us will need this 
world's goods much longer ; and did I feel at 
perfect liberty to sell a portion of my property, 
I should at once do it, and devote the same to 
the purposes of religion and education here. 



BECOMING GRATITUDE REVEALED. 241 

But your generosity and that of other friends, 
on whom I throw myself, may render it unnec- 
essary. Confidently commending my request 
to you, and you to Him who loveth and who 
will bless the cheerful giver, I remain your sin- 
cere and affectionate brother, 

" Obadiah Congar." 

"Jacksonville, February 9th, 1847. 

" My dear Sister, — The receipt of a letter 
from our mutual friend, Mr. Woodruff, inform- 
ing me that you had handed him thirty dollars 
as a contribution toward putting up a small 
place of worship which I am going on with, to- 
gether with the advice that our female relative 
and friend Mrs. G. had also handed him five 
dollars for the same purpose, could not fail to 
produce emotions of gratitude to God our heav- 
enly Father for his kind interposition in putting 
such thoughts of pious benevolence into the 
hearts of my dear friends at such a distance 
from me. And you, my dear sister, have pe- 
culiar claims of gratitude on my part, not sim- 
ply for this act of liberality, but for the uni- 
form and constant regard which you have man- 
ifested toward me ever since our first acquaint- 
ance. 

"It is with much pleasure I reflect on the 

Q 



242 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

relation which we hold to each other, and es- 
pecially that relation which I trust will remain 
when time shall be no more. Give my sincere 
thanks to Mrs. G. for her precious gift, which 
will do much toward aiding me in completing 
the work I have undertaken. For your infor- 
mation, as well as for others who may take an 
interest in the cause of religion in Jacksonville, 
I would state, that the building is now under 
cover and the glass in, and I have the satisfac- 
tion to say that my neighbors, and others friend- 
ly to religious institutions, think the house well 
adapted to the purposes for which it has been 
erected, namely, for holding social prayer-meet- 
ings in. 

u For want of a suitable place to hold such 
meetings, the numbers who have attended for 
the last two years past have been very small. 
One of the evil consequences of holding prayer- 
meetings in a private house is, that the indi- 
viduals who come together on these occasions 
are mostly of the same class. In the public 
place of worship none will be shut out. But 
now, dear sister, don't feel as though you had 
nothing more to do, but, I beseech you, plead 
most fervently that the blessing of the God of 
Israel may descend upon this weak and feeble 
institution, that the hearts of all who may at- 



THE PILGRIM LOOKING BACK OVER LIFE. 243 

tend may be united together in love, and that 
the spirit of grace may enlighten the minds of 
the unregenerate, and stir up Christians of all 
denominations to more active zeal and engaged- 
ness in the cause of their Lord and Master; 
and oh, remember your unworthy brother and 
his companion, that she too may become a hum- 
ble follower of the Lord Jesus. You are aware 
that we have lived together over fifty-one years, 
and yet I fear she is a stranger to true relig- 
ion. In the course of nature, it can not be that 
we shall much longer abide together in this 
earthly tent. May we only be fitted to live and 
reign together with Christ in glory. Separa- 
tion for eternity would be sad indeed, and yet 
is there not reason to fear that will be, unless 
we both have the uniting bond to Christ ? For 
myself, it is a pleasant thought that my time 
here can be but short. Life I am not weary 
of, but I often long to be with Jesus. 



" I bid my hours to hasten on, 
That I may be where Christ has gone ; 
With him I long in heaven to meet, 
To pay my honors at his feet. 
Oh thou bless'd Savior ! thou dost see 
How sad my heart, when far from thee ! 
Though here on earth thy love I share, 
Yet I had rather see thee there. 



244 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

Thou said'st, before thy feet were set 
Upon their march from Olivet, 
What time the clouds and heavens of light 
Received thee from the gazer's sight, 
That thou didst go, that there might be 
A place prepared for us and Thee. 
Oh, fit me for that dwelling-place, 
Where I shall see thee face to face." 



THE LOG OF LIFE WRITTEN UP. 245 

Chapter XIII. 

CLOSING YEARS, DEATH, AND RETROSPECT OF 
CHARACTER. 

Joy, joy to the soul that is ripe for ascending 

If hope be the star that enlightens death's vale; 
For why should we keep it from joys never ending, 

To tenant this mansion of weeping and wail ? 
Its stains, wash'd away by the full crimson gushes 

From the wounded Redeemer, no longer remain ; 
On the wings of an angel to heaven it rushes, 

To be happy forever, and ever to reign. 

The Departing Christian. 

Port is almost gained ; the voyage of life is 
well-nigh up ; the Christian mariner's Snug 
Harbor is nearly entered; eternal glory opens 
to the view ; 

Christian, cast anchor now, 
Heaven is thy home. 

We have followed the thread of this autobiog- 
raphy till it is all but spent, carefully unravel- 
ing and winding it off at intervals, and weaving 
it up with an appropriate woof into the tissue 
of this book. But little remains to complete 
our fabric and lift it from the loom. The two 
last years of Captain Congar's life, although he 
continued in active business, were, on the whole, 



246 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

composed and peaceful above any that had gone 
before. At the close of his seventy-eighth year 
we find him making this cheerful entry in his 
journal : 

" I record this day that the same Good Hand 
which has taken care of me through childhood , 
youth, and riper age, has carried me deep into 
the vale of years, even to the closing day of the 
seventy-eighth year of my life. And here I 
would express my gratitude to my Almighty 
Preserver and Benefactor that I have wanted 
for no good thing. My general health through 
the year has been better than for some years 
past, and no evil has befallen me or any of my 
family, except that my wife has lost the sight, 
in a great degree, of her right eye. We, how- 
ever, have abundant reason to be thankful, none 
to complain. Why, but of his sovereign grace, 
has He so highly favored us !" 

O, to grace how great a debtor, 

Daily I'm constrained to be ! 
Let that grace now, like a fetter, 

Bind my wand'ring soul to thee. 

" How does it now become me more than 
ever to consecrate all my faculties and days that 
remain to my God and Redeemer. Oh, how 
poor a return for all his goodness ! Had I a 
thousand lives to live, and a thousand hearts to 



THE ONLY PILOT IN THE SOUL'S NAVIGATION. 247 

give, they should be all devoted to him. But 
'tis only this one poor offering I can now make." 

Here, Lord, I give myself away ! 
'Tis all that I can do. 

" June 27th, 1847. To-day begins the eight- 
ieth year of my earthly pilgrimage. How 
strange that I should have navigated so long 
without shipwreck that stormy sea of life on 
w T hich millions of barks, freighted with immortal- 
ity, that sailed with me, have long since found- 
ered ! When I ask, why is it so, my heart re- 
plies, not for any thing in me, but * Even so, 
Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight.' My 
Savior has been at the helm." 

He is my Pilot wise ; 

My compass is his word ; 
My soul all storms defies, 
While I have such a Lord ! 
I trust his faithfulness and power, 
To save me in the trying hour. 

" Hitherto the Lord hath helped me ; my 
shortcomings and his long-suffering have gone 
together until now; but methinks my heart 
hopes and resolves to be his entirely henceforth 
and forever. God has not only kept the taper 
of my life burning so long, but he has spared 
my family to me another year, and the health 
of us all has been far better than we could have 



248 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

expected. My life in the retrospect looks black 
as ever, but so does the grace of Christ look 
brighter than ever, and therefore I do not de- 
spair and moan as I once did. For one thought 
to myself, I now, like holy Baxter, give many 
thoughts to my adorable Savior, for in him is 
all my comfort and peace. £ God is in Christ 
reconciling the world to himself ) not imputing 
their trespasses to them f and here is encour- 
agement enough, together with that blessed 
word, 'Him that cometh unto me I will in no 
ivise cast out J for trembling sinners like me 
every where to lay hold of. But ah ! the un- 
belief that hangs so heavy, and makes us slow 
of heart to embrace the encouragements held 
out to us in the promises. How many pious 
souls go mourning without cause all their days, 
as I have done till near fourscore ; not so much 
mourning for their sins, as that they find so 
little comfort in religion, when they are all the 
time looking into themselves for grounds of 
comfort in their exercises and acts, instead of 
looking aloft to the Lord Jesus Christ, the only 
possible ground of true comfort to a sin-sorrow- 
ing soul. Oh ! had I learned this secret earlier 
of looking always to Jesus, how much more I 
should have enjoyed ; how much happier I might 
have been as a Christian all my days. I have 



THE SECRET OF HOLINESS LEARNED. 249 

found it to be only union with Christ by faith, 
and a constant recollection of him as a present 
Savior, that can keep the soul happy by keep- 
ing it from sin." 

Oh, sacred union with the Perfect Mind ! 

Transcendent bliss, which thou alone canst give ! 
How bless'd are they this pearl of price who find, 

And, dead to earth, have learned in thee to live. 

Thus, in thine arms of love, oh God, I lie, 

Now and forever lost to all but thee ; 
My happy soul, since it hath learn'd to die, 

Hath found new life in thine infinity. 

Oh, go and learn this lesson of the Cross, 

And tread the way which saints and prophets trod, 

Who, counting life, and self, and all things loss, 
Have found in inward death the life of God. 

" October 14, 1847. The return of this day 
reminds me of my narrow escape from drown- 
ing fifty years ago, through the mercy of God, 
while the ship I was attached to lay at Canton. 
How vivid is the remembrance of it, although 
my heart is not so deeply affected at this dis- 
tance by calling to mind the goodness of my 
Almighty Deliverer in this instance as it ought 
to be. Ease did soon recant vows made in 
pain, but it was not forgotten, nor its effect 
wholly lost as a part of my heavenly Father's 
discipline to bring me to himself. ' He it was 



250 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

that took me and drew me out of many waters, 
and saved me for his mercy's sake.' " 

'Tis to his power I owe my breath, 
And all my near escapes from death. 

The following extracts from a letter dated at 
Jacksonville, November 25th, 1847, furnish the 
only remaining personal and domestic items to 
be recorded of Captain Congar's residence and 
employments in Florida : 

" Dear and beloved Sister, — My heart has 
been inditing you a letter for some weeks past, 
and I must begin with what my heart is full 
of, the^goodness of God. My Mary and I, Dar- 
by and Joan like, are sitting together in our 
little dining-room. And, first, I desire to be 
thankful to Almighty God, our heavenly Fa- 
ther, for his protecting care over us, and the 
numerous and unmerited favors which we have, 
through all our journeyings by sea and by land, 
received at his gracious hand. And it especial- 
ly becomes us on this day, which has been rec- 
ommended by the governor of this state to be 
observed by all its citizens as a day of public 
thanksgiving for all the mercies which a gra- 
cious Providence has bestowed on us as a young 
member of the great confederacy, and for the 
blessings heaped upon our whole land as a peo- 



COMFORTS OP A LIFE IN FLORIDA. 251 

pie — I say, then, on this occasion, we are called 
upon to record on our hearts the goodness of 
God in bringing us thus far on the journey of 
life, even to advanced age, and still rendering 
our circumstances in life far more comfortable 
than with millions as good or better than we. 
We have a convenient dwelling, situated about 
one hundred and eighty yards from the River 
St. John's, with the beef and fish market in full 
view from our house, and the same distance 
from it. The market-bell is always rung to 
notify when either of the above articles are for 
sale. Our market has generally been well sup- 
plied with both these necessaries at very cheap 
prices. We get the best cut of the hind quar- 
ter, whether for steaks or roasting, at six and a 
quarter cents per pound, and we can rarely 
consume six and a quarter cents' worth of ex- 
cellent fish for dinner. We purchase the best 
kind of wood at two dollars and fifty cents per 
cord, delivered at our yard. Vegetables, the 
growth of the country, are scarce, except sweet 
potatoes, now thirty-seven and a half cents per 
busheL Our family numbers only three, viz., 
Mary, myself, and our domestic, named Lydia, 
now T about fifty years of age. 

" Our expenses would be within our income, 
were it not for the large outlay of our yearly 



252 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

travel North. We have a competence, and with 
that are content. He, I know, who feeds the 
young ravens when they cry, will supply me 
and mine with all things needful as long as we 
shall want. But, if it would not be inconsist- 
ent to desire more, I would that I had it, in or- 
der to do more for the support of the Gospel, 
and the religious institutions in this section of 
our country. As a little family, we get along 
very quietly together. We seldom exchange 
visits except with a few particular friends. Our 
habits have become quite domestic. This is 
true of us all ; even our servant seems to have 
taken a pattern by us in these respects. We 
perceive a great alteration in her habits for the 
better. 

" I will now turn my thoughts a little on the 
state of religion in this community, and its at- 
tending privileges. I believe that I have already 
apprised you that the Presbyterian clergyman 
who had been sent here by the Presbytery of 
Georgia left us twelve months ago last April, 
since which we have had no minister of our own 
denomination with us except a few Sabbaths. 
The Presbytery of Georgia signified to us more 
than a year since that they could not find a 
man to send us, adding, at the same time, that 
there are now more than six hundred organized 



ITEMS OF CHURCH HISTORY. 253 

churches under the care of the Board of Mis- 
sions for which they were not able to furnish 
pastors. When I received this information, I 
was compelled to draw the conclusion that our 
case was hopeless. The discouraging state- 
ments of the Presbytery and of the Board of 
Missions in Philadelphia led us to the determ- 
ination to sell the Church property to the Meth- 
odist Society. This measure I now fully ap- 
prove, and am satisfied that the result has been 
favorable both toward uniting Christians of dif- 
ferent denominations in their feelings, and in 
their efforts to promote religion among us. 

The state of things in these respects is far bet- 
ter than it has been at any time since I became 
a resident here. These are the outward advan- 
tages, then, which the whole community have 
obtained by the purchase of the Baptist church 
by myself and two other Presbyterians, which 
we did to save it from falling into the hands of 
worldly men to speculate upon, or use for sec- 
ular purposes. And then, again, for want of 
sufficient aid to support a minister and to keep 
the building from decay, we were obliged to 
transfer the property to the Methodist people. 
All this has been (I consider) providential, and 
was well done on our part, for we have secured 
for this people a convenient house of worship, 



254 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

which might not have been the case otherwise. 
It is true I was necessarily obliged to advance 
myself more than two hundred dollars toward 
the purchase of the building, but this amount, 
together with what I collected when in New 
York, and the donations so liberally and timely 
forwarded us by yourself and cousin, have put 
it in my power to erect a convenient and suit- 
able building for the purpose of holding a week- 
ly prayer-meeting in, where we unite with our 
brethren of other denominations for worship. 
I contemplate making a deed of this property 
to the Churches. I am further happy to say 
that the Methodist minister who labors among 
us has done much to raise the standard of re- 
ligion and Christian fellowship, and has been 
the means of calling out many to attend relig- 
ious services who heretofore have stood aloof 
from the house of worship. The seats being 
free, the rich and poor meet together. With 
respect to my own religious feelings, exercises, 
hopes, and expectations, I would only remark 
that, on the whole, I trust I possess a more 
abiding sense of my unworthiness and insuffi- 
ciency, and that I wait with a comfortable as- 
surance of eternal life, only through the unmer- 
ited mercy of God in Christ Jesus, the great 
Redeemer. 



VIEWS OF PASSING EVENTS. 255 

" A few thoughts concerning the present ca- 
lamity with which as a nation we are sorely chas- 
tised — I mean, the war now going on between 
our government and the republic of Mexico. I 
profess not to be a prophet; yet I did firmly 
believe that, should Texas be annexed to the 
United States, it would certainly result in a 
war with Mexico. I mentioned this my full 
persuasion to numbers around me ; and, besides, 
I could not fall in with the policy of our gov- 
ernment in seeking to extend our territory so 
far, believing that, even if this new state should 
be added by mutual agreement, as well of Mex- 
ico as of Texas, that even then we should only 
involve ourselves with new cares and difficul- 
ties, which could never be balanced by any ad- 
vantages to be gained. But when we reflect 
upon the horrors occasioned by this impolitic 
step ; when we reflect upon the increase of vice 
and immorality which prevails when men are 
congregated together by thousands, destitute of 
the restraints of religion, and far from the so- 
ciety of the good and virtuous, what can we 
expect. But the melancholy loss of life and the 
sorrows of the sick and wounded make up a 
dreadful tale of woe. We know, to be sure, 
that God can overrule all these awful events 
for the advancement of his kingdom in this 



256 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

world ; but man meaneth not so. It is my 
consolation that God reigns, and that his king- 
dom is yet visibly coming on earth. We and 
our nation are in the hands of the All-mighty 
and All- wise. He will do with us and for us 
that which is best and for his own glory. To 
Him be endless praises. Amen." 

During the year 1848, the last of Captain 
Congar's mortal life, there are but two scraps 
of autobiographical annals which reflect any 
light upon his experience and habits as a man 
of God. The first is at the opening of the year ; 
the second, as usual, on the anniversary of his 
birth. 

" January 2d, 1848. Not one day have I seen 
from my earliest recollection but what I have 
been called upon to acknowledge the good hand 
of my God. But especially at the commence- 
ment of a new year is it both a duty and a joy 
to raise a pillar of gratitude to the Lord's good- 
ness. On this occasion I would notice with 
thankfulness the kindness of my heavenly Fa- 
ther in bringing me low and then raising me 
up. The Psalmist says, ' I was brought low, 
and He helped me f and my experience has 
been his over again. In the month of July I 
had a severe return of dyspepsy ; but my af- 
fliction was short; I was soon restored, and 



HOW TO BE YOUNG WHEN OLD. 257 

have been favored with better health than I had 
known for some time ; and I have found by ex- 
perience that strict temperance in eating, as 
well as drinking, is essential to good health. I 
am therefore resolved more than ever to attend 
to this lesson, since the doing of all in my pow- 
er for the maintenance of body and mind in 
vigor while I remain below is a duty I owe 
both to God and to my fellow-men." 

Master, I own thy lawful claim, 
Thine, wholly thine, I long to be i 

Thou seest at last I willing am, 

Where'er thou goest, to follow thee : 

Myself in all things to deny ; 

Thine, only thine, to live and die. 

Whate'er my sinful flesh requires, 

For thee I cheerfully forego ; 
My covetous and vain desires, 

My hopes of happiness below; 
My senses' and my passions' food, 
And all my thirst for creature good. 

Pleasure, and wealth, and praise no more 

Shall lead my captive soul astray ; 
My fond pursuits I all give o'er, 

Thee, only thee, resolv'd t' obey : 
My own in all things to resign, 
And know no other will but thine. 

"It is easy, comparatively, for an old man 
like me to adopt this. Oh, that I had been all 
this from my earliest days ! What but grace 
R 



258 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

did keep me from ruin by my sins in early life! 
I am a wonder to myself, my lamp of life hold- 
ing out so long. I stand a monument of the 
Divine mercy ; and I would have my epitaph, 

A SINNER SAVED BY GRACE. 

" June 29th, 1848. Day before yesterday 
was the birth-day of my eighty-first year. I 
try in vain to realize that I have lived so long, 
that I have been so many years a fixture in this 
changing world, outliving almost all that began 
with me the race of life. I often wonder why 
it is that the most unworthy of my father's 
house should be spared the longest. All my 
brothers, one of them younger than I, have 
years ago gone down to the tomb, while I still 
enjoy a good degree of health, though subject 
to the infirmities of age, and at times feeling 
great weakness of body, especially in my knees. 
But I have every thing to be grateful for, both 
as regards my spiritual and my temporal con- 
dition. In general, I have been favored of late 
years with a comfortable hope, which I trust is 
spiritual, that, whenever it shall please God to 
call me away from this sublunary scene, I shall 
be permitted to meet again with many dear 
friends who have gone to heaven before me, and, 
above all, to see His face who died for the sins 



CALM OUTLOOK UPON THE FUTURE. 259 

of many, and now reigns in glory. Till I get 
to the mansion which He has prepared for all 
those who love Him, may I, by walking daily 
with God as Enoch did, recommend my relig- 
ion to all with whom I have to do, and be ena- 
bled to bear up under all the troubles of this 
mortal life with a holy confidence in the truth 
and faithfulness of my covenant God and Fa- 
ther, through the intercession of the Lord Jesus 
Christ. Amen and Amen." 

Heav'n is my house and portion fair ; 
My treasure and my heart are there, 

And my abiding home : 
For me my elder brethren stay, 
And angels beckon me away, 

And Jesus bids me come. 

I go, thy servant, Lord, replies ; 
I go to meet thee in the skies, 

And claim my heavenly rest : 
Now let the pilgrim's journey end ; 
Now, O my Savior, Brother, Friend, 

Receive me to thy breast ! 

The personal memorials of our pilgrim-mar- 
iner are now ended, and it remains only briefly 
to record the manner of his death, and to present 
a short synopsis of his character and virtues as 
viewed by his friends and gathered from the 
foregoing annals. The same summer with the 
last date above, he visited the North, as it was 



260 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

his custom to do ; and, although his aspect of 
health and activity was the general remark of 
his friends, the impression was fixed upon his 
own mind that this visit was to be his last. 
While in the city of New York, he was seized 
suddenly with erysipelas, on Thursday, Sep- 
tember 14th, and died the next week on Friday. 
Almost simultaneously with the setting in 
of the disease, his brain was so affected that he 
was thought to be sensible at only two short 
intervals of time. His constitution was one in 
which the sympathy was more immediate and 
apparent than in the majority of cases between 
the body and mind, and thence probably the li- 
ability which we have observed to great depres- 
sion when his health was at all impaired during 
his lifetime. In his sickness he appeared not 
to suffer pain, the dread of which was one of 
his peculiarities in health. His final exit was 
easy, and he passed into peace. In the lines 
of his favorite, Charles Wesley, 

The voyage of life 's at an end, 

The mortal affliction is past, 
The age that in heaven he'll spend 

Forever and ever shall last. 

His funeral took place in Newark, New Jersey, 
and his remains were, conveyed to the first Pres- 
byterian church burying-ground by a large con- 



DELINEATION OF CHARACTER. 261 

course of attached friends and relatives, there 

to Wait THE RESURRECTION OF THE JUST. 

Rest, Christian, rest ! thy warfare is done, 

Thou hast fought the good fight, and the victory won. 

In making out a brief synopsis of the char- 
acter developed in the foregoing autobiography 
and memorials, and as it appeared to the eyes 
of friends, we are reminded of the remark of 
Wordsworth, that the character of a deceased 
friend or beloved kinsman ought not to be seen 
otherwise than as a tree through a tender haze 
or luminous mist, that spiritualizes and beau- 
tifies it ; that takes away, indeed, but only to 
the end that the parts not abstracted may ap- 
pear more dignified and lovely, may impress 
and affect the more. 

Let us, then, concisely sketch that character 
as it is given by friends that knew its virtues, 
and were not blind to its faults. 1. His man- 
ners. He was polite in his intercourse with all : 
his words and ways were marked by a gentle- 
manly civility and kindness. He was obliging, 
affectionate, social, and sympathizing outward- 
ly, because within there was the frank, noble 
heart of a true Christian sailor, which was ever 
ready to recognize a brother in a fellow-man. 
In his dress, also, and personal appearance he 



262 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

was scrupulously neat and decorous, even to 
ripe fourscore. 

2. Integrity of character and benevolence. 
Those who knew him little, trusted him, and 
those who knew him best were never disap- 
pointed or deceived in this sterling virtue. He 
had that conscientious regard for his word and 
for the interests of others that always belongs 
to an upright mind, and that carries conviction 
of it to others. As commander of a ship, and 
intrusted by his employers with lives and prop- 
erty, he secured their highest confidence, and 
was no less beloved and trusted by his men. 
Always unassuming and unaspiring, others 
thought far more of his faithfulness than he did 
of himself. 

As a merchant, his honesty far surpassed the 
standard of the present day. Exact in busi- 
ness — fulfilling all engagements and promises — 
his word was uniformly regarded as truth. It 
was a rule with him never to purchase an arti- 
cle of merchandise that he knew was not good, 
and never to sell an article for what he knew 
it was not ; and hence it followed that the poor 
man, the slave, and all who traded with him, 
held him in so high esteem and affection. The 
grand principle that regulated his conduct was 
of divine origin: " All things whatsoever ye 



HIS INTEGRITY AND BENEVOLENCE. 263 

would that men should do to you, do ye even 
so to them." A reasonable profit was all that 
he would have, although often he might have 
had more, and under circumstances in which 
the most of men would have taken more. He 
has therefore left behind him a savor of honesty, 
integrity, and singleness of purpose wherever 
he went, that is his best eulogium. 

This implies, also, benevolence, which shone 
in him brightly as a trait of character, both in 
large matters and in small, making him kind 
to the poor and friendless, and generous, up to 
his ability, to every good cause. Although 
heavily drawn upon at home, he was always 
giving to the great benevolent objects of the 
day. The ground for a session-house at Jack- 
sonville he gave outright, and erected the build- 
ing upon it. One of his last acts before he left 
the place was to give a deed to the Presbyterian 
Church, conveying all his interest in the build- 
ing and land. Impressed with the uncertainty 
of life, when about to leave for his last visit to 
the North, and when urged by friends not to 
trouble himself about it, he refused to leave till 
he had effected the conveyance. He was a lib- 
eral contributor to the Seamen's Friend Society 
and to the American Board, and the final dispos- 
al of his property by will is to those societies. 



264 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

3. His Christian principle and piety. On ship 
and shore, wherever he went, on deck or port, 
he made himself known as a Christian, and it 
was seen that he loved and was not ashamed 
of the Friend of sinners. "We have learned 
by the foregoing memorials how he madg it a 
matter of conscience neither to leave port nor 
to make sail on the Sabbath. He was deemed 
a favorite of Providence, and his scruples never 
cost him a berth, or even at all endangered his 
discharge, for it used to be said among owners 
that a special superintending Providence al- 
ways took care of him and his ship. 

It has been seen that his piety was an active 
and working piety, and how carefully he looked 
after the religious interests of his men at sea, 
and of his neighbors on the land. As to his 
own personal enjoyment of religion, for a large 
part of his life he was what is called a doubting 
Christian, owing chiefly to constitutional pecu- 
liarities. Like truly modest persons always, 
he thought less favorably of his own piety than 
others did. But it will have been observed 
with pleasure by the sympathizing reader how 
it assumed a more cheerful aspect, and a tone 
of greater assurance, as his pilgrimage drew to 
a close. 

4. His end. His sun grew larger at its 



HIS LIFE A PROPHECY OF HIS END. 265 

setting, and his evidences and hope of heaven 
became brighter as his shadow fell longer on 
the plain of life. Friends noted the change, 
and admired in him the grace of the Redeemer 
ripening him for glory. When at length he 
was gathered, it was as a shock of corn fully 
ripe in its season. Grace had gone so far in 
its work of renovation as to correct natural cor- 
ruptions, acidity, and bitterness, 

" And lay the paths of peevish nature even ;" 

and, though neither eminently great, or wise 
or lovely, he was, notwithstanding, greatly be- 
loved by the friends who knew him, and they 
are confident he has entered into the joy of the 
Lord. " A man's way is declarative of his end." 
" Mark the perfect, and behold the upright, 
for the end of that man is peace." 

May the earnest minds of both landsmen and 
mariners, who shall have been induced to follow 
us through these simple memorials, be emulous 
of the virtues and wary of the faults herein 
portrayed ; and when our voyage of life is over, 
and friends lay us in the narrow house appoint- 
ed for all the living, may it be said of each 
friendly reader of these annals, with as much 
confidence as it could be spoken of their sub- 
ject, 



266 CAPTAIN OBADIAH CONGAR. 

He has gone into peace ; he has laid him down 
To sleep till the dawn of a brighter day : 

And he shall awake on that holy morn, 
When sorrow and sighing shall flee away. 



THE END. 



baluabie ft) r k 0, 

IN THE DEPARTMENTS OF 

BIOGRAPHY AND HISTORY, 

PUBLISHED BY 

Abbott's Illustrated Histories : 

Comprising, Xerxes the Great, Cyrus the Great, Darius 
the Great, Alexander the Great, Hannihal the Cartha- 
ginian, Julius Caesar, Cleopatra Queen of Egypt, Con- 
stantine, Nero, Romulus, Alfred the Great, William 
the Conqueror, Queen Elizabeth, Mary Queen of Scots, 
Charles the First, Charles the Second, Queen Anne, 
King John, Richard the First, William and Mary, Maria 
Antoinette, Madame Roland, Josephine. Illuminated 
Title-pages and numerous Engravings. 16mo, Muslin, 
60 cents each ; Muslin, gilt edges, 75 cents each. 

Lives of the Queens of Scotland, 

And English Princesses connected with the Regal 
Succession of Great Britain. By Agnes Strickland. 
6 vols. 12mo, Muslin, Si 00 per Volume. 

Woman's Record ; 

Or, Biographical Sketches of all Distinguished Women 
from the Creation to the present Era ; with rare Gems 
of Thought selected from the most celebrated Female 
Writers. By Mrs. Sarah J. Hale. With over 200 
Portraits. 8vo, Muslin. 

History of the United States, 

From the first Settlement of the Country to the Organ- 
ization of Government under the Federal Constitution. 
By Richard Hildreth, Esq. 3 vols. 8vo, half Calf, 
$7 50 ; Sheep, $6 75 ; Muslin, $6 00. 

History of the United States, continued : 

From the Adoption of the Federal Constitution to the 
End of the Sixteenth Congress. By Richard Hil- 
dreth, Esq. 3 vols. 8vo, Muslin, $6 00 ; Sheep, $6 75 ; 
half Calf. $7 50. 



2 Works on Biography and History. 
Louisiana 

Its Colonial History and Romance. By Charles 
Gayarre, Esq. 8vo, Muslin. 

Lord Holland's Foreign Reminiscences. 

Edited by his Son, Henry Edward Lord Holland. 
12mo, Muslin. 

The Pictorial Field-Book of the Revolu- 
tion ; or, Illustrations by Pen and Pencil, of the His- 
tory, Scenery, Biography, Relics, and Traditions of 
the War for Independence. By Benson J. Lossing, 
Esq. Embellished with 500 Engravings on Wood, 
chiefly from Original Sketches by the Author. In 
about 20 Numbers, 8vo, Paper, 25 cents each. 

Life and Writings of Thomas Chalmers, 

D.D., LL.D. Edited by his Son-in-Law, Rev. William 
Hanna, LL.D. 3 vols. 12mo, Paper, 75 cents ; Mus- 
lin, $1 00 per Volume. 

Life of John Calvin. 

Compiled from authentic Sources, and particularly 
from his Correspondence. By Thomas H. Dyer. Por- 
trait. 12mo, Muslin, $1 00. 

Leigh Hunt's Autobiography, 

With Reminiscences of Friends and Contemporaries 
2 vols. 12mo, Muslin, $1 50. 

Southey's Life and Correspondence. 

Edited by his Son, Rev. Charles Cuthbert Southey, 
M.A. In 6 Parts, 8vo, Paper, 25 cents each ; one Vol- 
ume, Muslin, $2 00. 

Dr. Johnson : his Religious Life and his 

Death. 12mo, Muslin, $1 00. 

Life and Letters of Thomas Campbell. 

Edited by William Beattie, M.D., one of his Execu- 
tors. With an Introductory Letter by Washington 
Irving, Esq. Portrait. 2 vols. 12mo, Muslin, $2 50. 

Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography. 

With a Sketch of his Public Services, by Rev. H. 
Hastings Weld. With numerous exquisite Designs, 
by John G. Chapman. 8vo, Muslin, $2 50; Sheep, 
$2 75; half Calf, S3 00. 



Works on Biography and History. 3 
Hume's History of England, 

From the Invasion of Julius Caesar to the Abdication 
of James II., 1688. A new Edition, with the Author's 
last Corrections and Improvements. To which is pre- 
fixed a short Account of his Life, written by Himself. 
With a Portrait of the Author. 6 vols. 12mo, Cloth, 
$2 40 ; Sheep, S3 00. 

Macaulay's History of England, 

From the Accession of James II. With an original 
Portrait of the Author. Vols. I. and II. Library 
Edition, 8vo, Muslin, 75 cents per Volume ; Sheep ex- 
tra, 87^ cents per Volume ; Calf backs and corners, 
$1 00 per Volume.-— Cheap Edition, 8vo, Paper, 25 
cents per Volume. — 12mo (uniform with Hume), Cloth, 
40 cents per Volume. 

Gibbon's History of Rome, 

With Notes, by Rev. H. H. Milman and M. Guizot. 
Maps and Engravings. 4 vols. 8vo, Sheep extra, $5 00. 
— A new Cheap Edition, with Notes by Rev. H. H. 
Milman. To which is added a complete index of the 
whole Work and a Portrait of the Author. 6 vols. 
12mo (uniform with Hume), Cloth, $2 40 ; Sheep, $3 00. 

Journal and Memorials of Capt. Obadiah 

Congar : for Fifty Years Mariner and Shipmaster from 
the Port of New York. By Rev. H. T. Cheever. 16mo, 
Muslin. 

History of Spanish Literature. 

With Criticisms on the particular Works and Biograph- 
ical Notices of prominent Writers. By George Tick- 
nor, Esq. 3 vols. 8vo, half Calf extra, $7 50 ; Sheep 
extra, $6 75 ; Muslin, $6 00. 

History of the National Constituent As- 
sembly, from May, 1848. By J. F. Corkran, Esq. 
12mo, Muslin, 90 cents ; Paper, 75 cents. 

The Recent Progress of Astronomy, 

especially in the United States. By Elias Loomis, M.A. 
12mo, Muslin, $1 00. 

The English Language 

In its Elements and Forms. With a History of its Or 
igin and Development, and a full Grammar. By W. 
C Fowler, M.A. 8vo, Muslin, $1 50 ; Sheep, $\ 75, 



4 Works on Biography and History. 
History of Ferdinand and Isabella. 

By William H. Prescott, Esq. 3 vols. 8vo, half Call, 
$7 50 ; Sheep extra, $6 75 ; Muslin, $6 00. 

History of the Conquest of Mexico. 

With the Life of the Conqueror, Hernando Cortez, and 
a View of the Ancient Mexican Civilization. By Will- 
iam H. Prescott, Esq. Portrait and Maps. 3 vols. 8vo, 
half Calf, $7 50 ; Sheep extra, $6 75 ; Muslin, $6 00. 

History of the Conquest of Peru. 

With a Preliminary view of the Civilization of the 
Incas. By William H. Prescott, Esq. Portraits, 
Maps, &c. 2 vols. 8vo. half Calf, $5 00 ; Sheep extra, 
$4 50 ; Muslin, $4 00. 

Biographical and Critical Miscellanies. 

Containing Notices of Charles Brockden Brown, the 
American Novelist. — Asylum for the Blind. — Irving's 
Conquest of Grenada. Cervantes. — Sir W. Scott. — 
Chauteaubriand's English Literature. — Bancroft's 
United States.— Madame Calderon's Life in Mexico. — 
Moliere. — Italian Narrative Poetry. — Poetry and Ro- 
mance of the Italians. — Scottish Song. — Da Ponte's 
Observations. By William H. Prescott, Esq. Por- 
trait. 8vo, Muslin, $2 00 ; Sheep extra, $2 25 ; half 
Calf, $2 50. 

The Conquest of Canada. 

By the Author of " Hochelaga." 2 vols. 12mo, Muslin, 

$1 70. 

Past, Present, and Future of the Republic. 

By Alphonse de Lamartine. 12mo, Muslin, 50 cents ; 
Paper, 37£ cents. 

The War with Mexico. 

By R. S. Ripley, U.S.A. With Maps, Plans of Battles, 
&c. 2 vols. 12mo, Muslin, $4 00 ; Sheep, $4 50 ; half 
Calf, $5 00. 

History of the Confessional. 

By John Henry Hopkins, D.D., Bishop of Vermont 
12mo, Muslin, $1 00. 

Dark Scenes of History. 

By G. P. R. James, Esq. 12mo, Muslin, Si 00; Pa- 
per, 75 cents 



Works on Biography and History. 5 
Life and Writings of Washington ; 

Being his Correspondence, Addresses, Messages, and 
other Papers, Official and Private, selected and pub- 
lished from the original Manuscripts, with a Life of the 
Author, and Notes and Illustrations, &c. By Jared 
Sparks, LL.D. With numerous Engravings. 12 vols. 
8vo, Muslin, $18 00; Sheep extra, $21 00; half Calf, 
S24 00. 

Library of American Biography. 

Edited by Jared Sparks, LL.D. Portraits, &c. 10 
vols. 12mo, Muslin, $7 50. Each volume sold sepa- 
rately, if desired, price 75 cents. 

Grieseler's Ecclesiastical History. 

From the Fourth Edition, revised and amended. Trans- 
lated from the German, by Samuel Davidson, LL.D. 
Vols. I. and II., 8vo, Muslin, $3 00. 

History of the American Bible Society. 

From its Organization in 1816 to the Present Time. 
By Rev. W. P. Strickland. With an Introduction, by 
Rev. N. L. Rice, and a Portrait of Hon. Elias Boudi- 
not, LL.D., first President of the Society. 8vo, Sheep, 
$1 75; Cloth, $1 50. 

Biographical History of Congress : 

Comprising Memoirs of Members of the Congress of 
the United States, together with a History of Internal 
Improvements from the Foundation of the Govern- 
ment to the Present Time. By Henry G. Wheeler. 
With Portraits and Fac-simile Autographs. 8vo, Mus- 
lin, S3 00 per Volume. 

Schmitz's History of Rome, 

From the Earliest Times to the Death of Commodus, 
A.D. 192. With Questions, by John Robson, B.A. 
lSmo, Muslin, 75 cents. 

Louis the Fourteenth, 

and the Court of France in the Seventeenth Century. 
By Miss Pardoe. Illustrated with numerous Engrav- 
ings, Portraits, &c. 2 vols. 12mo, Muslin, $3 50. 

History of the Girondists ; 

Or, Personal Memoirs of the Patriots of the French 
Revolution. By A. de Lamartine. From unpublished 
Sources. 3 vols. 12mo, Muslin, $2 10. 



6 Works on Biography and History. 
Josephus's Complete Works. 

A new Translation, by Rev. Robert Traill, D.D. 
With Notes, Explanatory Essays, &c, by Rev. Isaac 
Taylor, of Ongar. Illustrated by numerous Engrav- 
ings. Publishing in Monthly Numbers, 8vo, Paper, 25 
cents each. 

History of the French Revolution. 

By Thomas Carlyle. Newly Revised by the Author, 
with Index, &c. 2 vols. 12mo, Muslin, $2 00. 

Letters and Speeches of Cromwell. 

With Elucidations and connecting Narrative. By T. 
Carlyle. 2 vols 12mo, Muslin, $2 00. 

Life of Madame Guyon. 

Life and Religious Opinions of Madame Guyon: togeth- 
er with some Account of the Personal History and Re- 
ligious Opinions of Archbishop Fenelon. By T. C. Up- 
ham. 2 vols. 12mo, Muslin, $2 00. 

Life of Madame Catharine Adorna. 

Including some leading Facts and Traits in her Relig- 
ious Experience. Together with Explanations and 
Remarks, tending to illustrate the Doctrine of Holiness. 
12mo, Muslin, gilt edges, 60 cents ; Muslin, 50 cents. 

Homes and Haunts of the British Poets. 

By William Howitt. With numerous Illustrations. 
2 vols. 12mo, Muslin, $3 '00. 

History of Wonderful Inventions. 

Illustrated by numerous Engravings. 12mo, Muslin, 
75 cents ; Paper, 50 cents. 

The Valley of the Mississippi. 

History of the Discovery and Settlement of the Valley 
of the Mississippi, by the three great European Powers, 
Spain, France, and Great Britain ; and the subsequent 
Occupation, Settlement, and Extension of Civil Gov- 
ernment by the United States, until the year 1846. By 
John W. Monette, Esq. Maps. 2 vols. 8vo, Muslin, 
$5 00 ; Sheep, $5 50. 

Life and Writings of Cassius M. Clay ; 

Including Speeches and Addresses. Edited, with a 
Preface and Memoir, by Horace Greeley. With Por- 
trait. 8vo, Muslin, $1 50. 



